Sleeping Beauty-HOO Style
by Andromeda-To-The-Demitria
Summary: Piper has been in hiding from a crazy witch named Khione for as long as she can remember. Supposedly, on her 17th birthday she will prick her finger on a needle of ice and fall into a deep sleep. And all because her mother is such a big believer in true love, true love is the only thing that can wake her up. Problem is, how will true love save her if she hasn't fallen in love yet?
1. Aphrodite's Anxiety

Queen Aphrodite waited anxiously for all the people of the land to begin swarming into her palace to see her new daughter, Piper.

It was not the people themselves she was nervous about (She was used to the attention, being very beautiful), it was the fact that she was about to betroth Piper to the son of King Jupiter in order to unite both kingdoms.

Being betrothed herself to Prince Hephaestus when she was young girl, she was not ecstatic to do the same to her own daughter. She hated being married to someone she didn't truly love, and she didn't want Piper to be in the same situation. Queen Aphrodite believed in true love with all her heart, which was not always a good thing, as it led her down some wrong paths.

See, Piper was not the child of her husband, Hephaestus. Queen Aphrodite was never a faithful wife to Hephaestus, and she knew it. She had been in multiple affairs with other men, though the kingdom only knew of the one that involved Lord Ares. After that scandal had been released Aphrodite had quite being unfaithful.

At least until she went to that play. Oh, how she remembered how she had fallen in love with the main actor, Tristan McLean at first sight. Then one thing had led to another, and BOOM, she had Piper and a husband who believed that Piper was his own first child.

"My Queen?"

Aphrodite snapped back to attention. She realized that the Palace Messenger, Hermes, had been trying to get her attention.

"Sorry, What?" The Queen asked.

"I am here to report that both Queen Athena and King Poseidon will not be able to attend as they are betrothing their own children together. Also, King Jupiter and Queen Juno will be here shortly according to the scouts," Hermes said in one hurried breath.

"Thank you very much, you are dismissed," Aphrodite said slowly.

Now, her anxiety was almost unbearable. She was starting to get the feeling something bad was going to happen. Hephaestus would find out the truth. The young Prince would get hurt by one of her subjects. One of those Stoll boys would steal jewelry right from one of the Nobles. _Something. _

The Queen let her mind wander to what the Messenger had said. Queen Athena was permitting her beloved daughter Annabeth to someday marry King Poseidon's son? Aphrodite had known Athena for longer than she could remember, and she knew that Athena always made the most wise decision possible. If this was her last resort to bring peace, then Queen Athena was desperate.

The war between King Poseidon and Queen Athena was really pointless, in Aphrodite's opinion. All over the name of a stupid city! Honestly! But maybe Aphrodite couldn't talk, because the main reason her Kingdom and King Jupiter's couldn't get along was because of a feud between herself and Juno, on who was more beautiful.

King Hephaestus entered the Throne Hall carrying Piper. He spoke to her in loving tones, telling Piper how beautiful she was and how he would never permit anyone to hurt her. Aphrodite almost smiled, in spite of herself. Hephaestus loved that Piper, that much was obvious.

He placed the beautiful baby girl into the stunning silver cradle (Crafted by the King himself) between the two thrones.

The King then sat on his own throne. "She is beautiful, like you of course," he stated.

"Yes," Queen Aphrodite said. Her mind was on other things.

The King must have realized this, as he did not talk anymore, and only stared at the people now streaming through the doors, as Aphrodite was doing.

The crowd of people spoke in hushed tones, as if they could sense the tension that Queen Aphrodite was feeling.

Suddenly, trumpets flared, and the other Kingdom's announcer yelled, "All hail King Jupiter and Queen Juno, who bring their son in hopes of betrothing him the young Princess Piper, in order to bring peace between the two kingdoms!"

Queen Aphrodite's eyes fell onto the handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed four-year old, who would someday become her daughter's husband.

* * *

**Hey, so this is my first fanfiction! I've been reading off of fanfiction for like ever, and I decided, why don't I get an actual account and write my own story? **

**Anyways, you don't have to review but if you do tell me if it's too short or not, because I don't really know as I usually read off my phone. Thanks!**


	2. An Uninvited Visitor

Aphrodite watched as the Royal family walked gracefully down the purple carpet leading to her throne. The Queen's eyes lingered some more on the young Prince, but then a stern looking girl all dressed in black caught her attention. _Thalia_, Aphrodite mused.

They were almost to the cradle now, and the whole hall of people was deathly silent, as if they were holding their breath.

As they arrived, they stopped. King Jupiter stepped forward.

"King Hephaestus and Queen Aphrodite, we come in the greatest respect and hope that our kingdoms may be united from the marriage of my son, Prince Jason, and your daughter, Princess Piper. Do you accept?"

Hephaestus answered before Aphrodite even got the chance to process the question.

"Yes, of course, for your hopes match ours. Today, in seventeen years, our children shall be married!" The King yelled the last part, and it was all she could do not to burst out crying from guilt.

The kingdom screamed and cheered from happiness in response to the proclamation.

As the noise died down, Prince Jason started to move forward, but then hesitated and stepped back. Queen Aphrodite noticed this and motioned for him to continue.

"Go on young Jason, you do not have to be afraid," she said consolingly.

The boy started forward once more eagerly and gazed at the week old baby sleeping. Thalia followed after as well, not wanted to miss out on anything. Both of them stared, as if mesmerized in the fact that this girl would someday grow up and be a part of their family.

Suddenly, Jason jumped back.

"What has happened?" Juno asked in a shrill, unconcerned voice.

Jason leaned forward again as if nothing had happened and said, "Her eyes change color!"

Indeed, they did. Queen Aphrodite had noticed this within the first hour of giving birth to her. Blue to green to brown. It was almost kaleidoscopic, and the Queen was almost happy that Jason had found one of the most unusual things about Piper.

King Jupiter reached out and grabbed Jason and Thalia, glancing at the Princess as he did.

"Come, my children. We must go find our seats, for it is almost time for the guardians of this kingdom to arrive."

_Hades_, Aphrodite thought. She had completely forgotten about the guardians, or fairies, as the kingdom called them. The guardians had promised to arrive and bestow gifts upon Princess Piper, in response to the kindness of King Hephaestus to his kingdom.

King Jupiter, Queen Juno, and their children found their seats in the front row. Now, the hall waited in almost silence for the fairies to arrive.

Soon, three very different looking women appeared at the doors.

At the right was the guardian known as Victoria. Victoria was dressed in a deep purple and orange v-neck dress that went well with her bright orange hair. She had helped the kingdom become victorious in many affairs, but she was mostly worried about the sports practiced within the kingdom.

In the middle was Fortuna. She was dressed in her usual elegant sea blue gown that emphasized her green eyes and blonde curly hair. Fortuna was always overly happy to bestow good luck to anybody. Most of the time, this meant that the person got a _little_ more than they bargained for.

This is why Aphrodite believed Nemesis had chosen to find a home here. Nemesis was always dressed in a black and red dress that would have made most women call her some not very nice words. Most people had learned quickly though, that you just _don't _get on Nemesis's bad side. Nemesis tended to make unfortunate things happen, balancing Fortuna's excessive good luck.

The fairies arrived and bowed to the King and Queen. Victoria stepped up to the baby first and placed her finger to Piper's lips.

"Princess Piper," Victoria started, "I give you the gift of charmspeaking, in order to become victorious through your voice."

Victoria stepped back, and Nemesis came forward. Nemesis handed a glowing bronze dagger to Queen Aphrodite, then reached her hand to the Princess's forehead and spoke.

"Piper, the dagger I have given your mother will serve as much more than a weapon. It will serve as a mirror to show you your enemies so that you may get revenge." Nemesis spun around and joined Victoria.

Fortuna was in mid-step, but then she gasped and almost fell down. Queen Aphrodite looked at the whole hall and noticed their attention was on something else.

"What on _Earth _is the problem?" She asked irritably.

"It seems, Queen Aphrodite, that I missed out on a _very_ important invitation," an ice-cold voice answered in response from behind her.

Queen Aphrodite spun around and there, standing behind Piper's cradle, was the North Witch, known to her kingdom as Khione.

Khione reached down to Piper's cradle and grabbed Piper out. Aphrodite and Hephaestus tried to jump out of their thrones, but Khione flicked her wrist and chains of ice sprung around everyone in the whole hall.

Queen Aphrodite had never felt so helpless in her entire life.


	3. The Curse Of Ice

All Queen Aphrodite could do was watch while Khione held her baby while walking up and down the purple carpet.

"Because apparently I am not worthy enough for my presence to be in your kingdom of fire King Hephaestus, I too will bestow a gift upon your precious child."

Aphrodite was near tears. She could see Hephaestus struggling to get out of the ice chains from the sides of her vision. She _knew_ something was going to happen! She tried to scream, but it was almost like her voice had frozen over. But looking at Khione, she knew it was very possible that had actually happened to prevent protesting.

"Now my dear Princess, what shall your gift be?" Khione continued, "Shall you be horribly ugly? Unable to see? Unable to _love_?"

She glanced at the Queen after each suggestion to see what her reaction was. Aphrodite tried her hardest to keep her face clear of emotion. She had to stay strong.

Khione paused, but then light dawned into her eyes. She held Piper up to the ceiling. "I know the perfect solution! Princess Piper shall die by her seventeenth birthday!"

Queen Aphrodite was no longer able to keep her face clear. She felt the warmth of the tears streaming down her face. _So much for staying strong_, she thought bitterly.

"But wait, I'm not finished," Khione said cheerfully while Aphrodite choked on a sob, "She will die by pricking her finger on a needle made of ice! How lovely."

From pure fury, King Hephaestus broke through the ice chains, but it was too late. Khione threw Piper to Queen Juno but missed and Piper landed in Princess Thalia's lap. Piper started to cry and Khione dissolved into a blizzard of snowflakes and disappeared.

The chains on everyone melted and the hall broke into utter chaos. Queen Aphrodite was in too much shock to do anything about it, and King Hephaestus was too busy breaking things and attempting to fix them again.

"SILENCE!"

Queen Aphrodite snapped out of her shock momentarily to find the speaker. She realized it was the guardian who had not given a gift yet, Fortuna.

"Thank you!" Fortuna said. "All hope is _not _lost, as I still have my gift to give. However, I'm no miracle worker. I cannot reverse the curse."

Aphrodite didn't know whether to be relieved or upset at her words.

Fortuna continued, "Instead of dying, Princess Piper shall fall into a deep sleep."

Princess Thalia stood with Piper still in her arms and spoke. "That's it? She's just going to fall asleep and that's the end? What kind of a gift is that?"

"Sit, Thalia!" Queen Juno commanded. Thalia obeyed, but not without making a face then glaring at her.

Fortuna however, did not seem offended. She scanned the room, as if looking for something to inspire her. Fortuna's eyes stopped on Queen Aphrodite. Aphrodite held her breath, wondering what about her could inspire Fortuna.

Fortuna took Piper from Thalia, and placed her hand on Piper's heart.

"Yes, Princess Piper should be in a deep sleep, waiting for true love's kiss to wake her up again!" Fortuna glanced at Aphrodite, waiting for her approval.

Queen Aphrodite faked a smile and the celebration continued, as if Khione had never come.

_Lovely_, Aphrodite thought. Just when she condemns her child to be married to someone she is not likely to love and true love is the only thing that can save Piper.

* * *

Queen Aphrodite sat at the desk in her private study, writing a letter to her sister, Queen Venus. Problem was, how was the proper way to start a letter asking for a _huge_ favor to a sister she hadn't talked to since she was fifteen? Aphrodite started again.

_My Dearest Sister Queen Venus,_

No, that was too mushy, and that was coming from Aphrodite.

_Sister,_

Aphrodite was pretty sure that was not proper enough for Venus. So it continued on like this for an hour, until the Queen was sure she had written the best letter possible.

_Queen Venus,_

_It is with my greatest honor and respect that I ask of you a great favor. You see, my daughter Piper has been cursed by Khione and I want to keep her somewhere safe away from her. I ask of you to let her and three guardians from my kingdom reside in your forest for a great while. I know it has been a long time since we have last spoken, but I just ask this one favor._

_Thank you eternally,_

_Queen Aphrodite_

The Queen folded the letter and tied it to one of the magical doves and sent it off. Aphrodite then went to find her husband, who was currently demanding the removal of anything that could be frozen.

She found him talking with his advisor, Malcom, on the balcony. Aphrodite looked over the kingdom and seen several large fires with people bringing large chunks of ice from their iceboxes to be melted.

"Dear," Queen Aphrodite said to get Hephaestus's attention, "I sent the letter to my sister through the doves. We should be getting a response any minute now."

Hephaestus's eyes were watery, and Aphrodite realized that sending Piper off was just as hard for him as it was for her. Hephaestus looked away and did not answer.

Aphrodite turned to leave to find Calypso, who took care of Piper. Just as she was almost down the ivory stairs she heard a sharp _pop _and a white dove appeared. Aphrodite untied the letter and quickly read it. Aphrodite flew back up the stairs as fast as she could.

* * *

It was twilight. Queen Aphrodite had dreaded this ever since she received the response from her sister. She and King Hephaestus were walking down the bridge to meet the three guardians, Victoria, Nemesis, and Fortuna.

Halfway there, King Hephaestus handed Piper to Aphrodite, as if giving her up now would lessen the pain.

They arrived. Queen Aphrodite kissed Piper one last time and handed her to Victoria. All were silent, because there were no words to describe what they were each feeling.

In one last sigh, Aphrodite nodded in goodbye and turned to leave. Hephaestus followed. A few steps more they walked until Fortuna called, "Wait!"

"What shall we call her?" Fortuna finished.

Aphrodite thought for a moment then said, "Piper. Piper McLean."

Nemesis raised an eyebrow, "After the actor?"

Queen Aphrodite did not answer, and in a moment the three darkening silhouettes turned and left.

Aphrodite watched them disappear. Then she did something she had never done with meaning before. She pulled Hephaestus into a hug and cried, and they stayed until midnight.

* * *

**Thanks everyone for the reviews! And thanks for reminding me about the disclaimer, I forgot! _Disclaimer_: I don't own HOO or the original plot for Sleeping Beauty.**


	4. The Man From The Dream

**16 1/2 Years Later**

Khione glided unenthusiastically down the steps in her palace. News from the latest search for Princess Piper had been received.

After so many years of searching for the princess, she was almost never excited when news came back from the searches. Khione had sent scouts high and low to every corner of the earth, and still to no prevail any victory.

Khione caught her reflection in the ice glass that made up the walls of her palace. She _was_ beautiful, maybe not as beautiful as Queen Aphrodite or Venus, but she still was if she did say so herself. Her long black hair clashed with her pale complexion, but her coffee-brown eyes served as a medium, making her face all the more dazzling.

The scout, Ethan was waiting for her at the end of the stairs.

"What's the news this time?" Khione said harshly.

"No-Nothing my Lady, we found absolutely nothing once again," Ethan reported while shivering. Whether it was from fear or the temperature of the room, Khione had not an idea.

"Is that the best you can do? We have been searching for sixteen years! No clues, not _anything_! Why?" Khione shouted at no one in particular.

Khione ran up into her room, slammed the heavy ice door and started to play her piano out of pure frustration. All the while she kept asking herself the same question she had been asking for years, _Where is Princess Piper?_

* * *

"Piper! Breakfast is ready and I need you to run into town to do some errands!" Nemesis yelled up the stairs.

"Alright! I'm coming!" Piper responded. Piper groaned. Why did Nemesis always have to wake her up during the best dreams?

Piper sat up and began to get dressed in her usual green and white peasant dress, thinking about her dream. She had dreamed she was dancing in a magnificent ballroom with a blonde haired man. For some reason, she felt deeply for him, and each time they dipped he would lean down and kiss her. Every time she tried to look at who she was actually kissing though, he would spin her around until all she could see was his blonde hair. It was all quite disappointing actually, but she felt as if this man was important, though she had no idea why.

"PIPER MCLEAN!"

Piper came back to reality. She realized she had finished dressing a long time ago and that she was just sitting on her bed gazing into the mirror.

"Sorry!"

Piper rushed down the stairs, braiding her hair, and sat down at the table and began eating her bacon. Victoria was seated across from her, so Piper braced herself for a lecture about being on time.

"Took you long enough!" Victoria snapped, "What have I told you about being the fastest and first one to everything?"

Fortuna looked at Victoria cheerfully over her morning tea, "Oh, lighten up girly! She got here and all is well!"

Fortuna went back to her tea, and Piper saw Victoria make a face at Fortuna, but she was not going to start yet another argument. Nemesis came in and placed a paper in front of Piper.

"This is the list for today's errands," Nemesis said, "Make sure you bring your dagger when you leave as well."

"I know, I know. I'll be safe! There's nothing bad in Beauregard, and if there is, I'd like to see them get past Frank. Honestly, Khione is not just going to decide to go to a little town like that today." Piper explained.

Nemesis shared a look with Fortuna and Victoria. Piper hated it when they did that.

Victoria was the first to talk. "Okay, Okay. Now get along to Beauregard! Daylight's burning!"

Piper approached the gates of Beauregard. The city was named after Queen Venus's daughter, Silena Beauregard, who died in some animal accident with her father after trying to save him.

Piper greeted the guard, Frank, and entered the city, reading the list as she did. _Strawberries_. It looked as if she would be visiting Katie Gardner's shop first.

She walked down the familiar cobblestone street until she came to a cottage surrounded by fields that had every vegetable and fruit imaginable growing in them. She entered and walked up to the counter to greet Katie, the owner.

"Hey Katie! How are you?" Piper asked.

"Today's going well, yesterday…not so much. Ever since those Stoll boys moved here, I can't keep them out! Bothering me left and right!" Katie complained, "Anyways, what do you need?"

"Strawberries, according to Nemesis's list. And can I get a few more than last time? I tend to eat them on the way home," Piper said.

"Sure thing sweetheart. I'll be right back," Katie said as she left the room.

Piper placed her money on the counter as Katie came back and handed her the basket. Piper was going to talk with Katie some more, but a clash came from the back room, and Katie ran into it and yelled "STOLL!"

So Piper thought it was best to get going.

After a few more stops Piper came to the last thing on her list: _flour_. Only the best flour could be bought at Hazel's. Hazel was one of Piper's best friends, and going to her shop was her favorite thing to do every time she visited Beauregard.

Hazel's shop was located right by the main square of the town, so it was always busy with people outside. Piper crowded her way through the town square, trying to get across to Hazel's, saying random hello's to familiar faces.

The bell clanged as she opened the door to Hazel's. Hazel looked up and her face broke into a smile as she seen Piper.

"Piper! Glad you could stop by!" Hazel ran over and hugged Piper fiercely.

"Mars Almighty, you act like we haven't seen each other in years rather than days!" Piper exclaimed. Piper didn't mind though, Hazel was just a nice person.

"I know, I've just been so busy today, and it's nice to see a friendly face! Flour, as usual I suppose?" Hazel asked.

"Yes, of course, only you make the best," Piper said as Hazel blushed, "But honestly Hazel, take a day off or something! You work all the time!"

"I know, I know, but I have to make my goal! You should know it takes a lot of money to completely redesign a shop," Hazel said.

Piper knew that it was Hazel's ultimate dream to own a jewelry shop, and her bakery was helping her raise money for that. Hazel left to go get Piper's flour.

Hazel came back with the sack and Piper paid, talking about minor things until Hazel had to come back to reality and return to work.

Piper stepped out of the shop and into the busy crowd. Twisting, diving, dodging in and out of the people was almost a rhythm for the townspeople. Piper was getting into the rhythm until _SMACK_!

Piper felt the pain erupt in her forehead as she looked at what she had run into.

A horse. Of all things to run into, she ran into a horse. How did she not see it? Seriously.

"_Whoah_ Tempest! Sorry, are you okay?"

Piper looked to the source of the voice while rubbing her head. Her eyes found the voice to be a handsome blonde haired blue eyed man, holding onto a halter attached to a strangely marked horse, apparently Tempest. Then Piper gasped.

The blonde haired man. Even though she had never seen his face, she knew this was him, the man from her dream.

* * *

**Hey, Thanks again for all the reviews! _Disclaimer_: Again, I hardly own anything.**


	5. Following The Girl

He followed her.

After the girl with kaleidoscopic eyes had run into Tempest, she had looked at him, gasped, and ran away. What that was about, Prince Jason had not a single idea.

But then, looking back, asking if she was okay sounded like a pretty stupid question. It was his fault she had gotten hurt anyway. If he hadn't of been too busy staring at her, he would have realized Tempest was _not _in fact behind him as he thought.

It was just something about her eyes. He'd seen them somewhere, he was sure of that. How or where? Not a clue.

So he followed her, hoping to get some snatch of information that would remind him.

Reyna was not going to be happy with him, that was for sure. This was the third time he had scheduled an appointment with her and not shown up. She was supposed to examine his sword, and see if it was durable enough for battle. If not, she would send it to Leo, Beauregard's most famous blacksmith.

Though Jason was pretty sure this whole appointment was not about the sword's durability. Reyna was romantically interested in him big time, that much was obvious. Jason honestly had no idea why she even tried, he was a Prince, he was betrothed. What was the point?

The girl continued on through the forest, making odd twists and turns at every tree, almost if she knew someone was following her. So it when on like this, for thirty minutes or more, until suddenly, she disappeared. _Well, she can't have gone far_, Prince Jason thought as he gently kicked Tempest to move him forward.

* * *

Piper ran across the yard, flew into the cottage, and slammed the door. She was breathing hard. Piper had known that she was being followed, she could sense it. So she had climbed up into a tree to find out who it was.

It was the blonde-haired man.

What did he want with her? He had already smacked her in the head with his horse, Piper thought he had done enough. Piper did have to admit, he did have a beautiful horse. With hair that was black like a storm with streaks of white that could represent lightning, Piper had no problem wondering where his name came from.

"What's wrong? Did someone threaten you? Give me your dagger, I want to see who it is!" Nemesis demanded and held out her hand as she ran in.

"Nemesis, nothing's wrong I promise! I just got startled…by a deer. I'm sorry for worrying you," Piper lied, using just a little bit of charmspeak. She tightened her grip on her dagger hidden in the folds of her dress.

Nemesis narrowed her eyes, studied Piper, then decided she was telling the truth.

As soon as Nemesis left the room Piper let out a deep breath, and shook her head in disbelief that Nemesis actually fell for her lie. Next time Piper went to town, she was buying Victoria a lilac bush to symbol her thankfulness for the gift of charmspeaking.

Piper did feel a little bit guilty for lying to Nemesis though. Nemesis along with Victoria and Fortuna had raised her from since she was a baby. From what Fortuna had told her, the three of them had saved her from Khione when she was a week old. Nemesis, Fortuna, and Victoria were fairies and had each bestowed gifts to Piper. The three had fled into the forest to a old cottage with Piper, hiding from Khione. No where was safer on Earth for Piper, as Queen Venus's kingdom was well protected.

That was all Fortuna would say, and any other question Piper asked was simply ignored.

Piper placed the bags on the table and ran into her room and collapsed onto her bed, head full of thoughts.

* * *

Piper was angry. So naturally, instead of doing what she was supposed to, she was throwing her dagger at random trees and singing about it.

Sometimes, Victoria was so annoying. It seemed like all she cared about was winning and being the best. It was just a stupid game of chess for Zeus's sake! Then Piper had gotten a long lecture on not trying her hardest. And Piper was _sick_ of it.

Piper had stomped out of the cottage, making sure to slam the door right in Victoria's face. She was about halfway across the yard when Victoria (on purpose, she was sure) yelled out the window on the wooden door to pick up some firewood for tonight's dinner.

With each strike Piper's voice grew stronger, with more emotion. She sang the songs that Fortuna had taught her when she was a little girl and altered the lyrics to match her own emotions.

Piper threw her hardest strike yet, but unfortunately her aim was off, for Katropis landed high on the trunk of the nearest tree. _Great_, Piper thought bitterly. She jumped up in low hopes of being able to reach it. She couldn't reach it by a good foot. Instead of looking like an idiot and jumping for something she could never be able to reach, Piper started to look for something she could maybe stand on.

She was about to grab another log to add to her growing stack at the bottom of the tree trunk when something flew past her head and lodged itself in a nearby tree.

It was her dagger.

She spun around to find the thrower and instead found herself facing a very unique marked black horse. Tempest. If he was here, then that meant _he_ was also.

"How did you find me? It's been nearly three months," Piper demanded.

The blonde-haired man emerged from behind a tree, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I didn't actually. You found _me_ in a sense," He stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Your voice. I heard you singing, and it was like it was luring me to come to the source. It was controlling me, I think. My name is Jason, by the way" He said calmly.

Piper almost blushed in spite of herself. It was very possible that she had been charmspeaking without noticing. Nobody came into these woods, so she had never worried about passersby.

"Why were you in these woods anyhow?" Piper asked, keeping her attitude.

"Ever since that day in the marketplace," He said, "I can't shake the feeling that we've met before. I just have to know. Please."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. We have certainly never met before that day in Beauregard. The only place I have only seen someone close to you is in…" Piper trailed off.

"Where? Please tell me, that's all I ask," Jason pleaded.

Piper hesitated, then continued figuring he wouldn't shut-up until she did, "My dreams."

Piper took advantage of his vacant look, figuring he was lost in thought, and pulled her dagger out of the tree and started to jog off.

"Hey, wait," Jason called.

Piper turned around. "What?" she said irritably.

"I never got your name."

"Piper," Piper sprinted back to the cottage, making sure Jason did not follow.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Don't own HOO or Sleeping Beauty **

**Thanks for the Reviews!**


	6. The Unfortunate Ribbons Of Fortuna

Piper knew he watched her everyday.

Jason might've _thought_ he was a good at hiding, but in all honesty, he was absolutely terrible. And Piper knew a thing or two about hiding, since she had been since she was a baby.

Every morning when she went out to do the chores, sure as day, she would catch a glimpse of his cape, hear a stick break, or even hear him breathing. What was his problem?

Of course, Piper had definitely not told any of the fairies. Nemesis would absolutely freak out, and Jason would probably not live to see his next birthday.

Piper glanced out her window, almost expecting to see him. Today she would have to go to Beauregard to get the items Fortuna had decided they were running low on, and Piper was sure he would follow her then too.

"Piper?"

Piper looked up, and seen Victoria at the door. She nodded for her to continue.

"Fortuna finished writing the list, though I'm not sure how much of it Nemesis would approve of," Victoria tossed the paper to her, "Go when you're ready."

"Yes, thank you," Piper responded while looking at the items on the list. Victoria must have still felt bad about the last fight Piper and her had gotten into, because she wasn't rushing her.

Piper got up and went to the door, flashing a small smile at Victoria. For now, they were on good terms.

* * *

Piper had almost finished Fortuna's ridiculous list. She just needed to stop at Lacy's Boutique to get blue hair ribbons and schedule an appointment with Leo to get their well fixed.

She decided to go to Lacy's first, just to get it over with. Not that Piper didn't like Lacy, it was just Lacy tended to be very girly girl, and that could get annoying quick.

With one last look over her shoulder to check for Jason, Piper entered the bright pinkish shop and walked up to the glossy counter to meet Lacy.

"Happy Afternoon Piper! What a lovely surprise for you to be here!" Lacy said, practically bouncing as she did.

"Yes, well, you know Fortuna, she _must_ have her blue hair ribbons!" Piper said.

Lacy started gathering the blue ribbon and measuring to cut it.

"Sure, Sure. I'm just waiting for the day you come in wanting some for yourself! You're a pretty girl, Piper! For once, I'd actually like to see you _try _to dress up!" Lacy said as she cut the ribbon.

Piper rolled her eyes, "Keep dreaming Lacy, keep dreaming."

"I will," Lacy said, her eyes twinkling, "But for now I have to worry about the dress fitting appointment I have with Princess Drew in a few minutes."

Piper laughed as she headed out the door. "Well have fun with that one! Good-bye Lacy!"

Lacy waved then started cleaning her counter off to get ready for the Princess.

Piper did feel a bit sorry for Lacy. Princess Drew was a spoiled brat who always got her way, no matter what it was. Piper would definitely not be able to put up with Drew's attitude. Lacy was really afraid to stand up to the Princess though, so she never said anything.

Piper had almost arrived to Leo's small workshop building when she stepped in a dip in the road and tripped and fell. And of course, all of her bags went flying everywhere, spilling their contents. Piper subconsciously heard a carriage in the background, but she was too occupied with embarrassment to really understand what that meant.

"Watch it, Dumpster Queen!" A girl's voice said meanly.

Piper looked up, and seen a pretty girl with dark perfectly styled hair and perfect make-up sitting delicately in a carriage. But the thing she noticed the most was that this girl had a silver crown with pink and purple jewels embedded into it.

Piper had nearly gotten run over by Princess Drew's carriage. Piper made a mental note to pay way more attention to what she was doing.

"I-I'm sorry your highness, I didn't mean to I promise," Piper said in a fake voice, using the smallest amount of charmspeak, while bowing the best she could with scraped knees.

"Yeah, well whatever. Just get back to the dumpster where you-"

"Hey now, if anything, Piper's a Beauty Queen! Now get along Miss Princess!"

Piper knew only one person would _dare_ speak to Princess Drew like that, plus she could recognize that voice anywhere.

Leo Valdez, the blacksmith of Beauregard.

* * *

Piper sat down in the seat across from Leo's at his desk, placing her once again filled bags beside her on the floor. Leo's desk was messy as usual, stacked with papers listing orders and appointments, and random quills and ink scattered all over.

Leo looked at her after he sat down at his desk, tapping his fingers rapidly on the top. "So I hear you need your well fixed. That's why you're here I suppose," Leo's eyes widened and he slapped his hand to his mouth, like he had just said something he wasn't supposed to.

Piper caught it. "How did you know our well was broken? I don't believe I've told anyone," Piper stated.

"Hey, have you seen Will's new bow? It's so sweet! It has these gold engravings on it that-"

"Leo!" Piper cried and glared at him.

"Uhh, you know. Umm, town gossip. Things uh, get around in Beauregard." Leo said hurriedly.

Piper narrowed her eyes. How could anyone have found out about the well? Nobody except her and the fairies had been around the cottage since it broke. _No, that was wrong_, Piper thought, _that Jason man had_.

Without thinking, Piper asked, "You don't happen to know a Jason, do you?"

Leo blinked in surprise. Piper could tell he had _not_ seen that coming.

"Um well, y-you see…" Leo stuttered. He started fidgeting with the nearest quill and shuffling random papers around, trying to look preoccupied.

"Go on," Piper insisted.

Leo looked up and smiled that maniac smile that always made Piper worry. "Would you like some tea or something? I'll tell you only what you need to know, but it'll still take a while, so might as well get comfortable."

* * *

Jason grabbed the forgotten blue ribbon that Piper and Leo had left on the street after she had fallen.

He would have helped her, but it would have been a bit to convenient if he showed up at just the right time to rescue her. She might think he was stalking her.

Plus, he was pretty sure Leo had it _all_ under control. Jason saw the way he looked at his Piper, blushing slightly as he held her hand to pull her up. Helping her in a time of need, being the brave knight in shining armor.

Truthfully, it made Jason _really_ jealous. Why couldn't he talk to her the way Leo could? Leo was horrible when it came to girls! Piper sure didn't run away when Leo was around.

Okay, so Jason knew it wasn't fair of him to claim Piper as his own already. He was betrothed, so in the end even if Piper fell in love with him it wouldn't matter. Just another broken heart from the past.

But Jason couldn't help it. Something about this girl attracted him, and it wasn't just her voice or eyes this time.

Jason went to her cottage at least once a day, just to watch Piper go about her daily activities. He knew he was being a major stalker, but he had to find out as much as he could about her, even if Piper refused to speak to him.

Suddenly, Jason had the urge to find out just what Leo said to Piper to make her so…herself.

Jason went to the side of the small workshop and opened the hidden door behind an overgrown rosebush that Leo had shown him one time a few years ago.

"Time to go discover the secret to Piper's heart," Jason said to himself as he crawled into the hole.

* * *

**Thanks guys and girls for the reviews! I'll try to incorporate your ideas the best I can, so thanks for those too. This story has been _disclaimed_.**


	7. Stalking For A Kiss

"How do you do it?" Jason said as he stepped out of the cover of the dark corner.

Leo screamed in a way not unlike Queen Venus would if she woke up with a bad hairdo, and fell out of his chair. "Where the in the _Hades_ did you come from!?" Leo yelled, still recovering from shock.

"The corner by the secret tunnel you showed me," Jason said casually and shrugged, "But seriously, how?"

"Stalking _me_ now?" Leo laughed, "And I have no idea what you're even talking about."

Jason sighed, sat down in the chair previously occupied by Piper, and buried his head in his hands. After a few seconds he looked up again. "Piper. You knew who I was talking about the whole time! Obviously you have a thing for her! The way you two talk, it's just so…natural. Why? How?"

Now it was Leo's turn to sigh. "A. I don't stalk her," Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Leo put up his hand to silence him, " And B. I do _not_ have a thing for Piper!"

"Oh _really_? I seen you. You even blushed when you grabbed her hand!" Jason exclaimed.

"Seriously man? She's a pretty girl, and she was actually paying attention to me. You _know_ I'm not used to that kind of thing, so of course I'd blush!" Leo said, shuffling through random papers.

Jason still didn't fully believe Leo, but he decided to not let Piper come between them. Jason held out his hand, "Okay, Okay. Truce?"

Leo laughed again and shook Jason's hand. "Truce," Leo confirmed.

"So…who do you take a romantic interest to?" Jason said, leaning back in his chair.

Leo blushed and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Didn't catch that, say it again," Jason pressed.

"Is that an order, your Highness Prince Jason?" Leo dared with his c.

Jason grabbed the nearest ink bottle and threw it at him. Leo tried to dodge it, but the bottle smacked him in the shoulder. "Go on." Jason said smiling victoriously.

"Alright, alright!" Leo said, "Well, there's Hazel, but she's got Frank, and he's scary so…" Leo ticked off a finger, "Reyna, but she's uh, preoccupied," Leo glanced at Jason and ticked off another finger, "Thalia, but she's more of a crush and she's a princess."

"Is that all?" Jason asked sarcastically.

"Well then of course she's your sister and that wou-"

Jason shook his head and laughed, "That's not what I meant!" Jason stood up from the chair.

"Going back to stalking?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow.

Jason shook his head, "Actually, no. I think I'm going to get Tempest's hooves trimmed then turn in for the night," he said as he walked towards the door.

Leo fake gasped, "His highness is not stalking tonight? What has happened?"

"Nothing, and shut it about the royalty thing, I don't want anyone except you and Reyna to know!" Jason scolded, "Have a good night Leo."

Jason left the small workshop and jumped on Tempest, still not completely reassured that Leo had no romantic feelings for Piper.

* * *

_Stupid dreams_, Piper thought bitterly. She had had yet _another_ dream about Jason. This time though, the dream had started out different from the normal.

Piper had been running though a thick forest, apparently scared to death of whatever was following her. She kept running, stumbling and tripping, sensing that the thing had almost caught up to her. She could see the light, signifying that she was almost to safety. Piper was about 10 feet away from safety when she tripped over the root of a tree and fell. She turned around to see what had been chasing her out of terror and saw…Jason. He smiled, offered her a hand and suddenly they dissolved and appeared in the ballroom once again, dancing their hearts out.

Then as usual, Nemesis had yelled for Piper to get up and do the chores. So here Piper was, braiding her hair in the mirror and trying to decipher her latest dream.

Piper headed down the stairs and grabbed her cloak hanging on the hook by the door, said her greetings to the fairies, and headed outside to feed the chickens.

Once she arrived at the cage, she picked up the feeding bucket and scooped some grain out of the bin. Piper then stepped into the wire cage and sprinkled the grain all around in it. After she was done, she stepped out and hitched the cage door onto the latch, leaving it open so that the chickens could room freely for a while.

As Piper was walking back on the well-worn dirt path she saw the usual flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye. Piper rolled her eyes.

"You know, a normal person might think you were stalking them," Piper said loudly.

"So you're saying you aren't normal?" Jason said as he stepped out in front of her.

And Jason _literally_ stepped out in front of her. Piper was not expecting him to do that, so naturally she smacked right into him. Piper yelped and jumped back. Right into a tree. She sat down on the dirt.

"Oh my Gods, are you okay?" Jason ran over to her and grasped her hand.

Piper glared at him.

"I suppose that's not really the right thing to ask, is it? Umm, can I help you?" Jason tried again.

Piper really didn't know how to answer. It was like she had lost her whole ability to talk and think properly. Jason was so close to her that she could notice small things about him that she hadn't before. Like that he had a small scar on his lip and he smelled like alfalfa and rain. _Probably from Tempest_, she thought. Piper realized she had been staring, but she didn't think Jason had even noticed because he was as well.

Piper broke the silence. "Uh, I think I'm okay. Thanks, though."

"Okay, if you're sure," Jason stood and pulled her up. Piper noticed that they were still holding hands from when she had fallen and blushed.

Jason stared at her. "Can I walk you home?" He asked.

"Yes. Yes, that would be fine," Piper said breathlessly, looking into his blue eyes.

"Shall we, my beautiful Lady Piper?" Jason asked jokingly with a twinkle in his eye and held out his arm like a prince would at a formal event.

Piper laughed. "Why of course, my kind Lord Jason," Piper said as she curtsied and looped her arm in his gracefully like Fortuna had taught her.

They walked along the path still keeping up their formal act while talking about minor things. Soon they arrived at the gate by the vine-covered eight-foot fence that surrounded the cottage. _Too soon_, Piper thought.

"Well, Good-bye," Jason said lamely, unlooping his arm from hers.

Piper didn't want to go, but she knew she had to shortly or Nemesis would start to worry. And if Nemesis found Jason, things would _not_ be good.

"Yes, I suppose so," Piper said, not helping the awkwardness of the situation.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jason swooped down and smashed his lips against hers. At first, Piper was shocked, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back. Piper would've stayed like this forever, but then Tempest whinnied, and they broke apart.

Jason's eyes widened. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, it was just…I don't know, and I'm so sor-"

Piper cut him off with another kiss. "I didn't say I didn't like it," Piper whispered.

With that she opened the gate, taking one last glance at a stunned Jason, and ran into the cottage. Piper stumbled up the stairs and collapsed on her bed, smiling like a maniac.

That night, Piper went to bed replaying his kiss over in her head a million times.

Piper again dreamed of Jason and her ballroom dancing.

* * *

**Thanks a lot for the reviews! **


	8. Duty Before Desire

Khione sat in her ice throne, staring intently at her magic mirror. She had recently found it in a box hidden behind a brick in the wall of her father's old room, and she was sure it was hidden from her for a reason.

The mirror could show her the answer to almost any question she could ask. If she asked "Is the sky blue?" then the mirror would show a picture of the sky being blue, confirming her question.

However, the mirror did not answer her greatest question. Every time Khione asked "Where is Princess Piper?" the mirror simply went haywire and blanked out. It was as if something or someone was guarding her location. _Guarding_…

Khione jolted up out of her throne, almost dropping the mirror. "Guardians!" she exclaimed out loud.

"My lady, is everything alright? I heard you yell," the messenger boy Ethan appeared in the doorway looking almost scared.

Khione stared at the messenger, then got an idea, "My dear Ethan, you have been many places, correct?" Ethan nodded. "Then I would guess you would be able to tell me the activities of the Guardians of King Hephaestus's kingdom, right?"

Ethan shivered. "I-I can't, my lady. No news of them has been heard of for several years. It's like they disappeared…Kind of odd isn't it?"

Khione mulled the great discovery over in her head. "Send me Octavian, it seems that we have a new lead in our search."

* * *

Jason swore that his father chose the most inconvenient times to call him back to the palace on purpose.

There Jason had been, riding Tempest through Beauregard to get to Leo's as fast as he could to tell him the news, when he had seen Reyna's horse, Scipio, tied to the post outside Leo's shop.

Normally, Jason wouldn't have thought anything about it. But it was a Friday afternoon, and nobody could keep Reyna from her job when it was at its busiest time of the week.

After tying up Tempest beside Scipio, Jason cautiously entered the workshop. He saw Reyna and Leo standing up on opposite sides of the messy wooden desk, apparently in mid-argument, as they both had heated looks on their faces. Reyna turned to Jason.

"Your father sent a message that you were to report back to the palace, he says you have spent enough time messing around and it is time to report back to your royal duties." Reyna said importantly.

Leo stared at Jason determinedly. "I say you ignore your father and stay here, you are adjusting so well, and there are some things you can't just _leave behind and forget_," Leo said pointedly. Jason understood. He was talking about Piper.

Piper. Everything about her was just plain amazing to Jason. Her kaleidoscopic eyes, her laugh, just…everything. And Jason knew he could never leave that behind.

` Yet, duty called. He had to be responsible and be a proper prince. Someday he was to be King Jason, and if he didn't know how to run a kingdom, then big problems would occur.

Jason sighed. "Look Leo, I know I can't just leave her behind-"

"HER?" Reyna interrupted. _Oh Hades_, Jason thought. "_Her_? Jason, you know you are betrothed! Who is this girl?" Reyna lectured. Jason could tell she was jealous.

"It's nothing really Reyna. I-I'll leave tonight for my father's kingdom," Jason said, already feeling his heart break.

Reyna huffed. "Whatever." and she walked past Jason and slammed the door to the workshop as she walked out.

Jason looked at Leo, hoping for support. Instead, he saw Leo glaring at him.

"I _cannot_ believe you. Fine, leave. I know you kissed her! I can tell by the look on your face!" Leo yelled at Jason. "And you say I'm bad with girls," Leo mumbled as he walked out of the room, leaving Jason to himself.

Jason slammed the shop door just like Reyna did and jumped on Tempest. He rode down to the small brick house he was staying in. After tying Tempest up he walked in to talk to the owner, Hestia.

Hestia was sitting at the dark brown table that sat in front of the always cackling fire, even if it _was_ summer. She was dressed in a brown peasant dress, though Jason knew she owned much fancier.

Hestia had once been a queen, but her kingdom had suffered many hardships, making it vulnerable to invaders, such as King Dionysus, who now ruled her kingdom. Hestia had given up the royal life after that, and now boarded people in the spare room of her small house.

"Here so soon in the afternoon?" Hestia asked, looking up from the fire.

"Yes, I'm actually sad to say that I will not be staying for another night, it seems I am needed at home once again. I'll just get my things and leave." Jason stated as he walked to his room on the left side of the hallway.

Jason began packing his clothes and belongings into the leather bag that Leo had given him a few years ago. It was all going fairly well until he reached into the drawer in the bedside table. He felt something silky and pulled it out. It was the blue ribbon he had taken from the side of the road after Piper fell.

Jason started to double think his decision. What if he just hid in Queen Venus's kingdom for the rest of his life? He would have Piper then, and she wouldn't have to suffer the heartbreak he was about to make her go through.

_No_, he thought, _I have to do my job, even if that means sacrificing what I want most in the world. _

Jason tied the ribbon to his wrist and finished packing. After he was done he walked out, said his goodbye's to Hestia, and jumped onto Tempest.

As he was riding out into the sunset towards his father's kingdom he paused and looked back. He looked into the forest in which Piper lived.

"I'll be back, Piper, even if I am betrothed," Jason said out loud. And with that, he continued riding to the sunset, thinking about Piper the whole way home.

* * *

Piper had went through the whole week without seeing Jason one time.

She had absolutely no idea where he had gone. She looked for him in the woods everyday. When she went to Beauregard last, she had looked for him too, but with no results.

Was it her fault he had left? Was she wrong to kiss him back? She hoped with all her heart that neither were the case.

Whoever said that time away from the person you care about only makes the heart more fonder was completely with no doubt correct.

So here Piper was, heading to town once again with Nemesis's list for the rest of the week (It was her turn to write it), thinking over all the possibilities of where Jason could have maybe gone.

She stopped at all the other necessary places first, purposely leaving Hazel's for last. Finally, after weaving through the impossible crowd, she walked into the shop.

"Hey Hazel and Leo," Piper greeted, figuring they were both on lunch break as they were eating.

"Euuh," Leo said, his mouth full of bread. Hazel smacked him on the arm and smiled. Piper sat down beside them behind the counter.

"So, how are things? Any better than the last time?" Hazel asked sympathetically.

Piper grimaced. "I suppose, I would really like to know what happened though. He's all I think about anymore!"

"I told him not to go." Leo mumbled under his breath.

"Wait, you know Jason?" Piper asked. Leo nodded his head. "Why did he leave?"

Leo looked like he was almost in panic-mode to Piper. "He, um, uh…had to go back uh, home. Somethin' about his father um, wanting him back…" Piper encouraged him to continue. "And I-I tried to get him to stay, you know, uh, some things are hard to leave behind, but he was all in do-the-right-thing mode, and it's um, really hard to talk him out of anything at that point." Leo finished nervously.

"Ohhkay, if that's all then…" Piper said uncertainly. She was sure their was a lot more to the story than Leo was letting on, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't tell anymore than he already had. But then again, she could use her charmspeak…no, that would be too controlling. She wasn't Princess Drew.

Hazel looked around her bakery awkwardly. "Well, lunch break is almost over and you should be heading back to work, Leo. Lunch tomorrow again?" Hazel asked Leo.

Leo grinned. "Of course my fair lady! Who could miss an opportunity like that?"

"Leave already! Good-bye!" Hazel said with an irritated tone, though Piper could tell she didn't really mean it. Seeing them interact like that reminded her of Jason and her that one day in the forest. _The last time she seen him…_

"So, what does my first customer of the afternoon want? My amazing flour, as usual?" Hazel said as Leo skipped out the door. Hazel rolled her eyes.

Piper laughed at Leo. "What else?" She said, answering Hazel's question.

Hazel bent down and retrieved a bag from a nearby cupboard and laid it on the counter. She put her hands on her hips. "So what are you going to do now with your Jason problem?"

Piper blushed and put her money down. "I suppose try to forget. But I don't really think that's possible…Hazel, I'm going to tell you something, and it sounds really ridiculous, and it's kinda early, but…"

"I won't make fun, I promise," Hazel said very seriously.

Piper gulped, sure her face was completely red by now.

"Hazel, I think I love him."

* * *

**Once again, I'm thankful for the reviews! Glad you like the story so far!**


	9. A Moonlit Lake

_This is ridiculous_, Jason thought as he listened to King Jupiter's, speech about the proper behavior for a prince.

Jason had been at the castle for three weeks now, and he was itching to leave once again. But the second he had told his father he was going to leave, King Jupiter had forbidden it.

"_Oh no, you don't," the King had said, "You are to be married in less than two months! Time to get serious and be the Prince Jason I know you can be."_

Jason looked out the window that showed the night sky, completely ignoring his father. Jason _really_ didn't want to get married. Especially to some girl that he had no memory of. _And_ that girl wasn't Piper. He studied the constellation of the girl archer that Prince Percy had shown him when they were ten just to clear his mind of Piper. He couldn't afford to be thinking of her now.

"Father, can I be dismissed for the night?" Jason interrupted Jupiter in mid-sentence. The King looked startled.

"Um, I suppose so, if you think you are finished. We shall continue first thing after breakfast tomorrow." Jupiter closed the lecture book.

"Goodnight Father," Jason said as he bowed. He then climbed the long staircase to his enormous room. Jason had almost checked Thalia's room, just to see if she had decided to come back, but he had decided against it. He missed Thalia, but she had run away to Queen Artemis's castle. In a way, Jason was jealous.

He sat on the purple chair beside his bed. Thalia was so lucky. She didn't have to put up with King Jupiter or any royal life issues. Jason wished he could run away. Well, he could. But would that _really_ be the right thing to do? _I'll return before the wedding_, Jason promised himself.

He got up and looked down the balcony. That was a long way down, how could he possibly get down without hurting himself?

Jason almost face-palmed. He had the gift of flying! How could he have forgotten about that? In his excitement, he almost jumped off the balcony without any preparations whatsoever.

He ran back into his room and changed into his peasant clothes. He hurriedly packed his bag once again, putting one pair of royal clothes in this time just in case though. He put on his riding boots, grabbed his bag, and approached the balcony.

Jason fingered the familiar blue ribbon on his wrist to calm his nerves and jumped. It had been so long since he had last flown that he realized that he missed the sensation of it.

The air gliding through his fingertips, he arrived at the stables. Jason ran to Tempest's personal stable and saddled him up as fast as he could. After a long five minutes he tightened the cinch and was finished. Jason jumped on Tempest and rode for the bridge. Jason heard yells. They had detected something was going on.

Almost as if Tempest understood what was going on, he sped up, sprinting across the noisy stone bridge faster than ever. By now the guards were shooting their bows, but Tempest was out of range.

As they landed in the forest Jason looked back. _Thanks for the courage Thalia_, he thought gratefully.

* * *

Two days later, Piper was laying on her bed late at night.

She was sure it was past midnight, but Piper could just not get to sleep. Thoughts of Jason kept running through her head, and she couldn't get rid of them.

Then again, Piper thought about Jason so much she should be used to it. She was practically obsessed. She dreamed about the ballroom every night. She made excessively extra trips into the forest, just in case he came back. Piper began to draw pictures of him, so she couldn't forget his face. She even drew a picture of their kiss.

Someday, she would give up. By her seventeenth birthday, she promised. Piper stared at the blank wooden ceiling.

Suddenly a rock flew through her open window and hit the end of her bed. Out of instinct, Piper jumped out of bed and ran to the window to see what it was.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Piper asked into the night. After a long pause, another rock flew in, narrowly missing her head.

Piper went and retrieved it, ready to throw it back. But then she felt a piece of paper tied to it. She untied the note and read, _Meet me in the forest_.

_I'm being absolutely stupid, that could be Khione out there_, Piper thought, _but it could also be Jason_. Piper threw on her green dress and grabbed her cloak out of her closet.

She had almost walked out of her room when she realized that was even more stupid. Nemesis would definitely catch her, as she practically slept next to the door. Piper looked out her window and stared at the ground. Without a second thought, Piper climbed out and jumped.

Piper landed in the most ungraceful position ever, but at least she wasn't hurt. She ran across the yard and approached the gate. Piper opened it very carefully, trying to keep it from creaking. She passed through and closed it, then walked into the forest, not knowing where to go.

Without warning, a hand smacked over Piper's mouth and pulled her back.

Piper's first thought was _Khione! _But then she could smell the familiar smell of alfalfa and rain. Piper sighed, _Jason_.

"Piper, do you know how dangerous it is to just walk into the forest without knowing who called you in the middle of the night?" Jason scolded as he took his hand away.

Piper didn't answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Then she smacked him across the back of the head.

"So _you_ just disappear for three weeks without telling me? Do you have any idea how I felt? I was a mess until Leo told me you went back home!" Piper said almost in tears.

Jason looked at her sympathetically. "I came back didn't I? Piper, I could never leave you, not fully. Some part of me would always be thinking of you." He grasped her hand. "Come on, I want to show you something I found." Jason started walking, still holding her hand, so Piper followed.

They walked through the forest, having the moon as their only source of light. They arrived at a large boulder that was covered in moss and weeds. Jason pushed Piper up against a tree so she couldn't escape.

"I found a place I really think you'll like. I drew you a map so that you could get here when you wanted. And…this place is kinda secret and I think it would be a great place for us to meet everyday." Jason said.

"Show me then, Jason." Piper dared.

Jason reached down and kissed her, "Of course my fair lady." And he pulled back some of the moss, revealing a large opening to who knows where. He went through first and pulled her after.

Piper gasped. It was absolutely beautiful. There was a small lake, sparkling in the moonlight, surrounded by a thick forest of trees. Near them was a sandy beach with occasional patches of green grass. Piper saw a dark shadow drinking out of the lake and realized that it was probably Tempest.

Jason looked at her. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! I've searched this forest so much, that I thought I knew where everything was. Apparently, I was missing the best thing about it!" Piper exclaimed.

Jason pulled her to the sandy area and sat down, pulling Piper with. "I beg to differ, actually. The best thing about this forest would have to be the beautiful girl sitting beside me."

Piper was almost glad it was semi-dark, because she was sure she was blushing so much she was red.

"Piper?" Jason asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you something?" Jason asked. He looked nervous.

"Of course," Piper said. She knew what was coming the second before he said anything.

"Piper, I love you." Then Jason kissed her. And in Piper's opinion, it was the best one so far.

* * *

**Disclaimer: Anything that is not original, is not mine! As always, thanks for the reviews and ideas! **


	10. Leo And His Girl

Piper wasn't sure how many weeks had passed. Two? Three? A few more? All she knew was that she spent them with Jason.

She wasn't sure that she could be any happier. Jason was the best thing in the world to her now, and if he left again she would be totally lost.

For once, Piper was up before Nemesis called. Piper got into her green and white dress, braided her hair in the mirror, and headed downstairs. Victoria actually smiled when she seen her coming down.

"I'm impressed, Piper! I haven't seen such good timing from you since, well, ever!" Victoria congratulated. Fortuna rolled her eyes.

"It must be our lucky day! Good things will happen." Fortuna predicted.

"Or not," Nemesis contradicted as she turned from counter with her arms full of plates. As if to prove Nemesis's point, Victoria's arm knocked over Fortuna's teacup on accident. Nemesis smiled mockingly, "Told you."

Piper ate as quickly as she could, and in no time she was done and getting ready to get to the lake.

"Somebody's sure speedy today. You sure you haven't been spending too much time with Victoria?" Piper looked back to see Nemesis leaning up against the door frame.

"Don't worry, I haven't. I just feel like exploring today, that's all." Piper reassured.

Nemesis looked suspiciously at Piper. "You 'explore' a lot these days. Better not be doing anything bad, or I swear, revenge will be mine." Nemesis warned.

"Okay, okay. Can I leave now?" Piper asked exasperatedly. Nemesis waved her off, and Piper sprinted out the gate and through the woods until she arrived at the well-known moss-covered boulder. Pushing aside the moss, she went past the opening. The lake was still just as enchanting in the sunlight as it was in the moonlight. Piper looked around and saw Tempest grazing on the grass, but she didn't see Jason. Where was Jason?

Strong arms wrapped around Piper's waist and spun her around. "Jason!" Piper cried.

"Yes, my lovely?" Jason replied as soon as he sat her down on a bench-like rock.

"You scared me!" Piper exclaimed. Jason sat down next to her.

"I know, that was the whole reason," Jason pointed out. He paused, "If it makes you feel any better, you're still beautiful."

"Jason, you know I don't _care_ about that kind of stuff." Piper stated. Jason grabbed her hand and stood back up.

"Come on, let's go swimming." Jason suggested, his electric blue eyes twinkling.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "At this hour in the morning? Why?"

"Why not?"

* * *

It was late afternoon, and Piper and Jason were laying on Tempest's saddle blanket. To Piper, it smelled extremely similar to Jason. Maybe he spent a little too much time with Tempest.

Jason turned over and looked Piper in the eyes. "Piper?"

"Yes?" Piper replied, completely lost in Jason's eyes.

"I uh, got invited to this Royal Ball that is being held for Princess Drew tomorrow night, and…." Jason trailed off.

"And?" Piper's insides were squirming.

"Well, I was wondering if you would go with me as my date?" Jason asked uncertainly.

"Jason! What did you think I would say? No? Yes, I'll go with you!" Piper exclaimed. She was extremely happy. She had never gotten invited to a ball before. She had heard about how captivating they were from the townspeople, and this had only mad her want to go to one even more.

"But, Jason, what will I wear? I don't have anything fancy enough to wear to a Royal Ball!" Piper worried out loud. Normally, Piper wouldn't have a care about what other people thought about her clothes, but she didn't want to make Jason look bad.

Jason smiled. "Already took care of that. Lacy made you the most perfect dress ever, free of cost. Though I'm pretty sure she was more excited about the prospect of you dressing up than the actual dress-making." He said.

Piper laughed at the thought of Lacy's expression. "Well, I must thank you forevermore then, Jason. Where did you get the invitation from anyway? Don't you have to be somewhat important?" Piper asked Jason.

Jason looked slightly uncomfortable. "W-Well, Leo got them for me actually, so I really don't know. Leo _is_ kinda important to the Beauregard, so maybe they decided to give him a bunch of extra," Jason suggested.

Piper detected that he was lying. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Jason panicked, Piper noticed that in his facial expression. "No! Uh, I mean, yes. And I promise I'll tell you, but not tonight. Tomorrow. At the ball, okay?" He paused, "I still love you, if that's what you're worried about." Jason said.

"Okay, I'll be anticipating your story," Piper smiled, "Or are you only waiting that long to tell me just so you can be sure that I'll come?"

Jason laughed. "No, I'm sure you will come with me. I don't know, I just think the ball would be the best place to tell you, so that you would get the full understanding," Jason explained.

"Okay I see your reasoning. Will you meet me at the gate tomorrow and pick me up?" Piper asked, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"Yes, I think that would be the best, don't you?" Jason replied, grabbing Piper's hand.

"I'll have to Charmspeak the fairies really well," Piper muttered under her breath, not meaning to say anything out loud. Jason heard her.

"Charmspeak? Fairies? Looks like I'm not the only one with secrets am I? I await your explanation at the ball as well," Jason smiled, tilting his head toward hers.

Piper laughed. "Oh, Shut-up," And Piper leaned over the rest of the way and kissed him.

* * *

Jason was outside Reyna's formal looking office, tying Tempest up next to Scipio. Normally, Jason wouldn't come here unless he had to, but Leo had left a note on his workshop door saying he was at Reyna's. Jason seriously did not want to be here. Not that Jason didn't trust Reyna, it was just that they thought alike, and if Jason was in Reyna's shoes, he would do the right thing; report her, and send her back home.

He walked in. He didn't see either of them in the office part, so he headed upstairs to Reyna's small flat.

Jason arrived to the door and knocked. He heard light footsteps approaching the door, and the door opened. It was Reyna.

"Hello, Jason. Leo's over there on the couch." Reyna said forcibly, though Jason could tell she was slightly happy he was there.

"Thanks, Hey Leo! What's happening?" Jason said as he walked over to the couch and sat down.

Leo laughed. "Just hanging with my girl, Reyna."

Unfortunately for Leo, Reyna had returned from the door right as he said that. She smacked him across the head with the closest thing to her, which happened to be a ceramic vase. It didn't break, but it still left a decent size bump.

"I am certainly _not_ your 'girl'." Reyna stated as she sat down gracefully, as if nothing had happened. Despite everything that just occurred, Leo still laughed.

"For now. I know you dig me," Leo instinctively flinched, "Don't hit me!" Reyna smirked, but she didn't.

"_Anyways_," Jason interrupted, "Leo, did you pick up Piper's dress from Lacy?" Jason asked. Reyna huffed, got up once again, and left the room.

Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Well, uh, Lacy insisted that you bring Piper to her first, so that she could do Piper's hair and make-up, so she just kept the dress. Sorry, man,"

"It's okay. Piper might overreact just a little bit at first, but she'll get over it." Jason said. "Hopefully," He added.

Leo laughed again. Jason wandered if Leo ever went through one whole conversation without laughing at least once. "Lets hope so, because from what I've heard from you, she's improving on her throwing aim. And I don't want to be the object of that aim. I'm already Reyna's half the time." Leo said.

"That's your own fault! You just _don't_ talk to Reyna like that." Jason pointed out.

Leo shrugged. "Maybe not. But it's so funny!" Leo started laughing hysterically.

"I can still hear you, you know!" Reyna yelled from the next door room. She walked back in with a kitchen knife in her hand. "I think it's about time you two went, I have a long work day tomorrow, and it won't be ruined because of you."

Leo stood up and got in a stance, like he was getting ready to sprint for the doors. "Reyna. Put the knife down," he said like he was talking to a three-year-old.

"I'll do no such thing. Now get going! Both of you!" Reyna instructed.

Jason and Leo walked to the door. Jason knew Leo was about to do something stupid just from the way he glanced back at Reyna, so Jason went out first.

Leo was about to close the door, but then he yelled, "Nighty Night Reyna! Leo loves you!"

The knife slammed into the door.

Leo was laughing so hard on the way down the stairs that Jason could tell he was close to tears. Jason went to untie Tempest and Leo started walking down the street to his workshop, after they said their goodbye's between laughs.

Jason jumped on Tempest and rode towards Hestia's house, still chuckling at the thought of Leo's most current episode.

* * *

**This was by far one of my favorite chapters to write!**

**Thank you eternally for the reviews! I love that you like the story so far!**


	11. Clash Of Colors

"Piper!" Nemesis yelled as she was buttering the bread on everyone's plates. Nemesis heard the floorboards creak, so she knew Piper had heard her.

In a few minutes Piper came stumbling down the stairs smiling. Nemesis had noticed that for the past month and a half, Piper had been smiling an awful lot. Piper sat down at the table with Victoria and Fortuna, who were already arguing.

"You can't just win all the time! You have to have some amount of good luck. Just winning because you can doesn't work." Fortuna stated.

Victoria smirked. "Obviously you can. _I_ do all the time."

"But you're the fairy of victory! That's different!" Fortuna contradicted.

"That's enough, you two. Let's let Piper eat in peace for once," Nemesis interrupted, placing the plates on the table. Piper ate quickly once again today, Nemesis noticed.

"Excited to get somewhere today?" Nemesis asked Piper as she sat down with her own plate.

Piper blushed. "Sort of. I can't believe how much of these woods I have never explored before."

"Yes, the woods do have a lot of secrets," Fortuna said, looking Piper in the eye.

"Speaking of the forest, fall is almost here, and I think that the forest plums should be ready to pick. Why don't you do that while you are out today? Take as long as you need." Victoria suggested. Nemesis shared a look with her.

Yesterday, while Piper was out the fairies had decided that tomorrow night they would leave to go back home. Today they would hold a going-away party with just the four of them, and tell Piper the truth about her past. After that was all done, they were gone. The fairies had already packed all their personal things, and Victoria would pack Piper's as soon as Piper left. A carriage from Queen Aphrodite's castle was already on its way to pick them up.

"Ohhkay, I'll just be leaving now," Piper said as she grabbed a basket a practically skipped out the door. Nemesis could tell that she was suspicious, but Piper looked as if she had other things on her mind too.

Nemesis clapped her hands and stood up. "Kay ladies, we have work to do. Fortuna, make Piper's going-away dress, and make sure it's Royal looking. Victoria, pack Piper's things, and put our bags by the door. And I, will make the cake." Nemesis commanded.

"Chop Chop!" Victoria yelled. Victoria scrambled up the stairs, Fortuna started rummaging through the closet for the perfect fabric, and Nemesis ran to the cupboards and searched for all of the right ingredients.

She mixed the ingredients together in the large wooden bowl, and placed the liquid cake in the molds. Nemesis looked over at Fortuna and wrinkled her nose in distaste. A sea blue dress? Not exactly her style.

Nemesis put the molds on the rack above the fire and occasionally turned them so that the cake would cook evenly. Soon, it was finished. She placed the cake on the countertop so it could cool. Later, she would frost it.

Fortuna was nearly finished with the dress by now. It was elegant, not too much, not too little. It was a low-cut, three-quarter sleeve, sea blue dress that appeared as if it would barely drag on the ground. Nemesis thought Fortuna had done a wonderful job on the style, now if she could just do something about that color…

Victoria came down the stairs with Piper's bags and laid them down by the door by the rest. She looked at Nemesis's cake as she passed by.

"Why does your cake look like someone already took a slice out of it? It looks dumb," Victoria complained. Then she looked at Fortuna's dress.

"Wow, that's a lovely style! You worked efficiently on this dress I see!" Victoria praised as she walked over to it, "But…there's just one problem. The color."

Victoria touched the dress, and it turned from sea blue to deep purple.

"Hey! Don't touch my dress, Victoria! Sea Blue is the perfect color!" Fortuna exclaimed, and the dress turned back. Nemesis ran over to the dress as well.

"I think red is the perfect color!" Nemesis said, and the dress turned dark red.

"Nemesis! No! Leave my dress alone you two!"

"I think _not_ Nemesis!" Victoria argued as the dress turned purple once more.

"That's it!" Fortuna yelled as she ran into the kitchen. Nemesis however, barely noticed this as she and Victoria kept changing the dress back and forth. Purple, red, purple, red, purple, red. The colors were starting to blend together on the dress.

"Victoria, leave it red! I _will_ have my revenge!" Nemesis screamed.

"I'll _still_ win! I have to, I'm the guardian of _winning_! Ha!" Victoria yelled back.

Suddenly, a loud bang snapped them both out of arguing. Nemesis looked at the ground by Fortuna. It was her cake!

"Stop it you two! Look at this place! It looks like…I don't know, an indescribable mess! We need lots of Luck," Fortuna said. Nemesis looked around at the house. Indeed, the house did look indescribable. Red and purple coloring was splattered all over the house, and looking out the window, she cold see that not just the house was affected by this new coloring.

"We must fix it!" Victoria declared. "Hurry, we do not have much time!" Victoria ran out the door and started changing nature back to its original colors.

Nemesis took charge of the inside of the cottage. She stared down sadly at her messed up cake, laying face down. Nemesis went to the closet and grabbed the broom. As she swiped the cake up, she glared at Fortuna, thinking of the perfect way to get revenge. Fortuna didn't notice though, as she was busy fixing the dress and returning it back to the original sea blue color.

Soon, the outside, inside and the dress were back to normal. The three fairies sat down at the table and waited for Piper to come back.

A half an hour later, they heard Piper singing as she came up to the door.

* * *

The scout known as Octavian was wondering through the forest that belonged to Queen Venus aimlessly.

Octavian honestly thought that there was no point in even looking for the stupid Princess anymore. The seventeen year deadline- literally, was nearly up, and there was no clues other than the fact that she was with the guardians.

Once this search was over, Octavian was going to cause an uprising and dethrone Khione. He wouldn't mind taking her place at all, and Octavian knew he could get enough supporters just by blackmail alone.

Just thinking about all this seemed to make the ice snowflake in his pocket feel even colder. The snowflake served as a transportation and communication device, and no matter what Octavian did, he couldn't get rid of it. He was pretty sure it was Khione's way of tracking him, making sure he didn't run off.

Octavian approached a small cage that was full of chickens. _That's odd_, Octavian thought.

He looked to the side, and saw a winding dirt path. Octavian decided to follow it. After a while he came to a tall wooden gate that was surrounded by a matching fence. Octavian opened the gate as quietly as he could, and dodged into a nearby bush.

Octavian heard female voices. Leaning nearer, he could decipher bits and pieces of their sentences.

"I'll have my revenge!"

"I will still win!"

"We need lots of luck,"

Apparently, they were fighting. Deciding that this information was useless, he started to crawl to the gate. That was, until he noticed what color the bush he had just been in. The bush was purple, with splatters of red in it. Octavian looked around the yard and seen that it was not just the bush that was a peculiar color, it was everything. Why would ordinary women color their yard and house red and purple?

Octavian pondered on that for a moment, until the coldness of the snowflake increased and startled him. His mission was to look for the guardians, he reminded himself, not to wander about on people's property.

_Wait, guardians…Could this possibly be…? _Octavian questioned.

Revenge. That could be the guardian called Nemesis.

Winning. Only Victoria matched this description.

Luck. Fortuna, of course.

Octavian pulled the snowflake out of his pocket and spoke into it. "Khione, I think I've found the guardians."

* * *

**Thanks, as always for the past reviews, favorites, and follows! **


	12. Captive For Love

"See you tonight, my beautiful," Jason whispered to Piper as she closed the gate. Piper was ecstatic to go to the ball tonight.

So ecstatic, in fact, that she was singing as she walked across the yard. Piper opened the door and walked in still singing.

"Piper!" the three fairies yelled as they jumped towards her.

"Victoria! Nemesis! Fortuna! What is going on?" Piper exclaimed.

Fortuna grabbed Piper's hand and sat her at the table beside her. The other two sat on the opposite side.

"Piper, we have something very important to tell you. It's life altering, and after tonight your life will never be the same, I promise you." Fortuna said consolingly.

Piper gulped, not sure that she wanted to hear the news. Fortuna continued, "The story we told you about your past is not all of the way true," Fortuna paused, letting Piper sink that in, "You are not Piper McLean."

"What!?" Piper questioned, not sure where this was going.

Nemesis took it from there. "You are Princess Piper, the lost daughter of Queen Aphrodite and King Hephaestus."

"You're kidding, right?" Piper asked.

Victoria shook her head, and Piper's heart shrunk. "No. Now listen. It was a week after you were born, and we were all at your betrothal-"

"Betrothal? I'm pledged to be married to someone I don't even know?"

Victoria held up her hand irritably. "Hush. It was all going well until Khione showed up, uninvited. Angered, she put a curse on you that you would die by your seventeenth birthday by a needle of ice. Your mother then sent you along with us, the three guardians of the kingdom, to her sister's kingdom to live and be protected."

Piper was silent, running over all the information that Victoria had just told her in her head.

Fortuna finished. "Tonight, your mother and father are sending a carriage to come pick us up and bring us back home. Everything is packed that we will need. To celebrate, I made you a beautiful dress! Come see, it matches your eyes wonderfully!" Fortuna pulled Piper over to a corner.

Indeed, the dress was beautiful. But Piper had had plans tonight with a different dress, with _Jason_.

"Fortuna, this is lovely and all, but, I can't go. I'm sorry." Piper apologized.

Victoria stepped forward. "And why is that?" She demanded.

"I-I met someone a few months ago. He invited me to Princess Drew's ball tonight. I can't leave him, please don't make me leave," Piper started to sob.

"I'm sorry darling, but you have to. It is not our decision to make, it was your parents. It doesn't matter anyways, you'll have to leave him in the end, as you are betrothed." Fortuna reassured, reaching for Piper's hand.

Piper pulled away. "No! You don't understand! I love _him_! Not some man I don't even know!" Piper was yelling now. Nemesis stood in front of her.

"I'm sorry for this, but I did say I would get my revenge if you were doing anything you weren't supposed to," Nemesis said. Before Piper could barely comprehend what Nemesis had said, she snapped her fingers and Piper succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

Jason had been waiting outside the cottage gate for a good hour now. If Piper didn't hurry up, they were going to miss the dance! Jason decided to wait it out for a few more minutes, then he would go investigate.

The minutes passed slowly. Finally, Jason jumped off Tempest and went through the gate. Jason walked blindly across the yard, for the moon had not bothered to show tonight. Jason held his arms out in front of him until he felt something hard hit his hand. Excited, Jason fumbled around for the door and doorknob. He found it.

The house was oddly lighted, and nothing like he imagined it to be. Nearly everything was covered in ice, and the ice radiated some kind of light that lit the entire cottage.

"Nice house, isn't it?" A cold voice said. Jason spun around. A pretty woman dressed in a white silk dress was guarding the door.

Jason kept his a straight face, despite the panic he was feeling. "Uh, I suppose, yeah. Do you happen to know where Piper is? We kinda have a ball to attend, and it's getting late-"

"It seems we are both looking for Princess Piper, doesn't it?" The woman interrupted.

Jason choked. "Princess? Piper?" The woman smiled knowingly.

"Yes, but I don't suppose she told you did she? But then again, you didn't tell her your little secret either. Love always has secrets, Prince Jason," She explained.

"How do you know my name?" Jason demanded.

She laughed. "Oh, we have indeed met before! I am Khione, the one your dear Piper has been hiding from for nearly seventeen years. You haven't changed a bit, you know. Now, enough talk." Khione motioned to something Jason couldn't see, "We shall leave now."

Jason reached for his sword, but ice chains sprung around Jason's arms and legs, completely restraining him. "Why do you need me? Why do you need Piper?" He yelled.

Khione looked at him like she was about to kill him. "Because Prince Jason, I must have Piper die for the insulting things her father has done to me. You, I need because you are the one she loves, and true love's kiss is the only thing that can save her. If you are taken prisoner, _nothing_ can save her!"

Two people grabbed Jason on both ends of his body and lifted him up. Jason tried to protest, but his voice had literally frozen over. Suddenly a freezing cold blizzard surrounded them, and they flashed into a cold castle made of ice.

"Boys, put the Prince downstairs in the dungeon for now. Later, after Princess Piper is dead, I think he would be the most beautiful decor in my throne room, don't you?" Khione said to the boys holding him down. She then strutted off, leaving them.

The boys started to carry him down some stairs, probably to the dungeon. Jason tried to struggle, but the chains were extremely tight. Once they were at the end of the stairs, he was tossed roughly into an ice lit room and the door to his cell was slammed shut and locked.

Jason rolled over to the wall, and propped himself up so that he was sitting. He was then left to his thoughts.

From what Khione had said, Piper had known she was a princess. Why hadn't she told him?

_You didn't tell her either, so you can't be upset at her_, his mind shot back.

Jason stared at his reflection in the ice on the floor. Once again, Piper was in a time of need and he couldn't help. Khione was going to kill Piper for something she didn't even do, something her father had done.

Absent-mindedly, he wondered who her parents were anyway. Could he have met them before? Probably. When Jason was younger he went everywhere with his father, so he'd met a lot of royals, and even made friends with their children sometimes.

King Jupiter had never told him who he was betrothed to though, it was always not spoken of. Whenever Jason asked which girl it was, and which kingdom she belonged to, Jupiter always answered, "You don't need to be worrying about that right now. Have fun while you're still young! For now, you are single."

Which always earned Jupiter a glare from Queen Juno. Juno didn't really like Jason and he was pretty sure she hated Thalia. From side conversations, Thalia had drawn the conclusion that Juno was not their real mother, which would explain the constant side remarks from her to Jupiter about 'not being loyal'.

Jason snapped back to his situation. He had to escape somehow, for Piper's sake. She couldn't just die! Especially if Jason was the only one who could save her.

Somehow, Jason would have to be the hero.

* * *

**This was a hard chapter to write! I got through it though, hope it's okay.**

** Anyways, thanks for the reviews!**


	13. The Icy Staircase

Piper woke to the rattling of carriage wheels on a cobblestone street. She laid there for a moment, trying to fathom why she was in a carriage.

Then, it all came back. The ball. The dress. The _other_ dress, the one that changed everything.

Jason. Piper had been forced to leave him behind forever, just because she was a princess. She missed him already so much. _He probably thinks that I ditched him last night_, Piper thought, _if only I could've had time to explain…_

"Piper, are you awake yet? We are almost to the palace," Fortuna said, shaking Piper's shoulder.

Piper looked up miserably. She could tell that none of the fairies had wanted to take her away by their reaction to her face.

Nemesis pointed out the window. "Look, Piper. Do you see your home? Isn't is positively wonderful?"

Piper looked. She wasn't going to lie to herself, the castle was grand. It even surpassed Queen Venus's, which was very elaborate itself. Just by looking, she could tell that castle had many rooms and fancy structures inside, along with many other architectural secrets. Whoever built this castle had an eye for building things.

Victoria snapped her fingers in order to get back Piper's attention. "Now, you won't be seeing your mother and father until later today. First the maids will clean you and feed you, then you will be escorted to the throne hall, where you will meet your parents and your future husbands as well. In fact, he might even be there, though I'm not sure," Victoria informed.

Piper put her head down, still thinking about Jason. "When will we be married?" She asked, hoping for the date to be far away.

The fairies shared a look. "Sometime within the next few weeks," Fortuna answered.

The carriage came to a stop. A kind looking girl with caramel-colored hair and almond eyes opened the door. She smiled and addressed the fairies.

"Victoria, Fortuna, Nemesis. The kingdom has long missed you! And…Princess Piper," The girl curtsied, "I am Calypso. I took care of you when you were just a baby. Come dear, let's get you cleaned up," She motioned for Piper to exit.

Piper jumped out and followed Calypso who was walking towards a small wooden door on the castle. Calypso opened it, and held it open for Piper to walk through. Then she took the lead again, walking up and through what seemed like millions of staircases and corridors. Finally, Calypso stopped.

Calypso turned to face Piper. "This is your room." Calypso opened the door to reveal a colossal room, that was filled with elegant dark mahogany furniture.

Piper nearly gasped. "Wow. Just wow! I can't believe this is even happening to me! To think I had this all along," Piper sat on the squishy bed in the middle of the room.

Calypso smiled. "Yes, it is amazing. Now, stay here. I must go fetch the maids, and it may take a few minutes. Don't leave, or a feel you may get lost, okay?"

Piper nodded, not really paying attention to her words. Calypso left the room and closed the door, leaving Piper to her thoughts for a while.

Piper really couldn't believe this was happening to her. It was cool and all that she was a princess, but it didn't mean anything to her if it meant she could never see Jason again. _Stupid royalty_, she thought bitterly.

Suddenly, a snowflake fell onto Piper's lap. Curious, she watched it lay there and waited for it to melt. It didn't.

"Why aren't you melting?" Piper asked it, feeling ridiculous for talking to a snowflake.

As if in response, the snowflake lifted itself up and glided towards the fireplace.

"Don't do that! You'll surely melt then!" Piper cried. Instead of melting however, as the snowflake hit the flames, the flames turned into snowflakes as well. Then the fireplace expanded, and the snowflakes melted into the wall, becoming ice. A staircase appeared, completely covered in ice.

"That's odd, I wonder where it leads to?" Piper mumbled to herself. Piper walked towards the staircase. As she got on the first step, she decided to come back if she didn't get to the top within the first minute.

That decision though, was useless, for as she stepped on the second step, the fireplace closed her in. Piper panicked and started hitting the icy wall. After a few minutes of that, Piper regained herself.

"Since I can't go back, I'll just go up. Maybe it was built to be that way," She said, walking up the icy steps the best she could without slipping and falling.

Soon, she arrived to a snowy room, that looked like it had been through a blizzard quite recently. Piper looked around shivering for an exit, but she couldn't seem to find one.

"Aww, the Poor Princess Piper can't seem to find a way out," A cold voice mocked from just behind Piper.

Piper spun around to see a very beautiful dark haired, light skinned, woman. "K-Khione!" Piper shivered.

The woman smiled. "Ah, yes. I have waited many years for this moment. Your friend Nemesis thinks she knows revenge? Well, wait until she sees this!" Khione waved her hand, and the snowy room changed into a room filled with icicles, some pointing up, some pointing down from the ceiling.

"P-please, I d-don't want t-this to happ-pen," Piper struggled to say, as she backed up carefully.

An needle of ice appeared in Khione's hand. "Just stick out your finger Princess, and it will be a lot less painful," Khione crooned.

Piper tried to back up more, but she tripped over an icicle and fell. Khione leaned over and grabbed Piper's hand.

"Say goodnight, Princess Piper," Khione said as she stabbed Piper's finger.

Piper gasped as she looked at the blood leaking out her finger. She could feel the curse taking over her.

"Jason," Piper said, and she fell into deep sleep, listening to the sound of Khione cackling.

* * *

Victoria was down in the throne hall, seated in a chair below the King's and Queen's thrones.

She and the two other fairies had been whispering nervously back and forth, waiting for the King and Queen for the past few minutes.

The maid known as Calypso came rushing down the stairs.

"The Princess! In front of her fireplace with a needle made of ice in her hand! She's nearly dead!" Calypso screamed hysterically and collapsed to tears at the last step.

The fairies rushed up the stairs, with Victoria in the lead. After several agonizing minutes, they arrived at Piper's room. Indeed, Piper was in front of her fireplace, seemingly dead.

Fortuna felt her heart, "The curse, it has begun. She is only sleeping-"

Queen Aphrodite darted into the room from the hall. "What did Calypso mean, nearly dead? My daughter, she can't be, be dead!" The Queen pointed to Fortuna, "You said she wouldn't die! Just sleep!" Aphrodite started crying as well as she fell beside Piper.

Fortuna stood, and Victoria felt a little sorry for her. "She is certainly not dead! She is only sleeping. She can be woken up only by the one she loves now," Fortuna shared a look, "Here, let us lay her on her bed. We shall discuss this in the throne room."

The four of them laid Piper on her bed, and Queen Aphrodite left the room still sobbing. Victoria was about to follow when Fortuna grabbed her and Nemesis's shoulders.

"Victoria, I want you to find that man that Piper spoke of before. I think he is the one that can break this curse," Fortuna looked Victoria in the eye, "Please be careful, I fear Khione might have him, and you're like a sister to me…" Fortuna wiped away a tear and turned to Nemesis.

"Nemesis, we have major work to do. That thing you did to Piper before we left? Where you made her unconscious? I need you to teach me how. I think it is necessary for us to do that to the entire city." Fortuna explained.

There was a silent pause. Victoria broke it, "Well let's get going!"

Victoria flashed out. First, she was heading to that Valdez's residence, for she knew that he knew just about everyone in the city. If anyone knew of this mysterious man, it would be Leo Valdez.

She appeared on top of a messy desk, knocking over two stacks of paper as she did.

"Holy Mother!" A boy yelled.

Victoria jumped off the desk and landed perfectly on her feet. She looked at the boy known as Leo. He was sitting in a chair that was now moved all the way back to the wall.

"What are you doing here Victoria? And since when did you get the ability to appear out of no where?" Leo asked, trying to calm down.

"I was born with it boy!" Victoria scolded, "I have something to ask you, so listen close."

Leo saluted. "Yes sir, I mean ma'am."

Victoria glared at Leo, "I am looking for a man who Piper spoke of. This man is very important, he is the only one who can save Piper."

"Save Piper? Is she in trouble?" Leo asked, getting up from his chair.

"Yes, she is in very much trouble. Now where is that man?" Victoria answered frustrated.

Leo ran a hand through his curly hair. "I was hoping you would know. He disappeared, as far as Reyna and I can figure out. He was supposed to pick up Piper for the ball last night, but neither of them showed up."

"Khione must have him." Victoria muttered. She raised her hand to flash out again but Leo interrupted her.

"Please find Jason. If what you say is true, Piper needs him more than ever," Leo pleaded.

Victoria smirked. "Don't you worry boy, I am triumphant in all I do."

* * *

**_Disclaimer_: Anything you've seen before, is not mine unfortunately.**

**Thanks forevermore for the reviews! And don't worry, you'll see Percy and Annabeth soon enough!**


	14. Victory Is A Hero

Jason thrashed against the wall, trying to break the chains. No matter what he did, they never even showed a crack.

He wasn't going to give up. Jason couldn't give up. Piper needed _his_ help. Not Leo's, not Hazel's, nobody but his.

Jason slumped against the wall, his usually optimistic attitude taking a turn downwards, like it was sinking into the ice. Jason wouldn't let himself think that Piper was already dead. She couldn't be, he promised himself. If she was, Jason might as well as die now, because there was nothing worth living for.

He stared at his reflection again, but this time to actually look at himself. Jason was sweaty, despite the temperature of the cell. He looked like he had been to Hades and back, which wasn't very attractive.

Offhand, Jason wondered what Piper even saw in him. Or Reyna for that matter. Or every other girl who had ever liked him.

"What kind of a hero are you? You look like you've about given up," A determined female voice said.

Jason looked up from his reflection to see a bright orange haired woman leaning up against the cell door, which was still closed oddly enough.

"H-how did you get in here? Who are you?" Jason asked while backing away.

The woman laughed. "Boy, I am champion in all I do. I am Victoria, one of the three guardians of King Hephaestus's kingdom. It was quite easy to get past all those guards, actually." Victoria explained.

"Oh. And why are you here exactly?" Jason asked, feeling a little reassured.

Victoria rolled her eyes, as if it should be obvious. "Do you want to save Piper or not? You apparently needed my assistance with that, as all you were doing was staring at yourself."

"I was not-"

Victoria interrupted him, "We are wasting time. Let us go!" She raised her hand, and Jason heard the door unlock. Then Victoria grabbed one of the ice chains attached to Jason. She mumbled something, and the chains melted into a puddle.

"I can only do that if they are not attached to me," Victoria said, "So lets hope we don't get caught."

Jason nodded, and the two of them headed out the of the cell. Victoria went up the stairs first, keeping lookout. They climbed on until the sounds of a great celebration reached their ears. Victoria cursed.

"This was not happening when I arrived! Completely ruins all my plans," She explained, "We will have to improvise." Victoria reached the entrance to the main floor, and darted to a nearby corridor.

Jason followed her steps carefully, watching the nearby celebrators.

Jason looked away disgustedly, not believing that they could celebrate about the death of an innocent girl. _No, Piper is _not_ dead_, Jason reminded himself.

Victoria climbed the nearest set of stairs, glancing around every corner with her arm positioned like she was going to punch someone. Soon enough, they ran into someone, and Victoria sure as Hades punched him.

Jason looked at the unconscious body as he hurried past. It was a skinny boy with stringy blond hair. Jason could tell by looking that he and this boy would not have gotten along. Pushing that thought aside, Jason continued after Victoria.

They stopped in a round room, apparently a tower.

"Dead end," Victoria said. She looked like she was about to throw a fit as she looked out the window, "Unless one of us can fly-"

"Actually…" Jason said, but he trailed off as he felt an icy presence that he recognized well.

"Oh, how sweet! Fairy Victoria thought she could win by saving Prince Jason, but it seems she is a bad loser. Not used to it are you?" Khione asked Victoria.

Victoria flashed her a dirty look. "I've never lost once, and today is _not_ going to be the first time. You are not worthy of the honor of beating me!" Victoria said in a deadly voice.

Khione's expression changed violently. Jason knew this was going to get ugly fast. With this thought in mind, he charged towards Victoria, pushing her out the window along with himself.

They were falling quickly. Victoria screamed the whole way, cursing Jason. "ARE YOU CRAZY!? WHAT IN THE HADES DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

"Saving you!" Jason yelled back. He directed the winds to carry them softly but swiftly to the ground. They landed just out of Khione's influence, Victoria still yelling.

"You. Can. Fly. Why did you not say _anything_ sooner?" She demanded as she smacked him across the face.

Jason nearly got out his sword, but then he remembered that this woman would surely beat him, no matter how good he was. Instead he chose to change the subject.

"So…Piper," He reminded her. Jason heard a angry scream.

Victoria grabbed his arm. "I'll transport us to the kingdom. We must hurry."

Suddenly everything went blurry, and he felt like he was being stretched in a million different places. Just a suddenly as it had happened though, it was over.

Jason looked at his surroundings. Instead of the great sparkling castle he had imagined, a thick dead forest with vines covered the whole kingdom, and they were about a mile from what Jason thought was the castle.

Victoria stomped her foot in anger. "Why are we this far away? What is with this dead forest? Where are Fortuna and Nemesis?" She ranted.

"Did you honestly think you could get away that easily?"

Jason and Victoria turned to meet Khione once again. "Where are my sisters?" Victoria demanded.

Khione smiled coldly. "Oh, you know…just chilling. In a block of ice." She waved her hand, and a picture appeared. It was truly horrifying, even though Jason didn't know the two women. They appeared to be frozen in mid-fight, because they had fierce expressions on their faces.

Victoria charged after Khione. Khione advanced towards her invitingly. Jason didn't want to get involved, so he backed away towards the forest. The forest which blocked him from Piper.

Piper. He needed to get to her to save her, but the forest was in the way. That meant the only way to get to her was _through_ the forest. Jason wasn't all excited about the possible things that could be in there, but he was willing to take the risk if it meant Piper was on the other side.

With this Jason ran into the dead forest, the thorns and dead branches cutting his face and arms. The sudden adrenaline rush was making him sprint faster than he ever had before, the cuts were barely stinging. Jason pulled out his sword, slashing and cutting anything that came in his way.

One time he hit something that felt like an animal, but he didn't put too much thought into it, he had a mission.

Then, Jason saw the vine-covered gates that led to the palace. He ran even faster than before, if that was possible. Jason lunged at the gate, jumping on to the rails and climbing, using the dead vines as footholds. Everything was going fine until Jason reached the top.

Something smacked into him, forcing him to fall down on to the other side. If Jason hadn't of had power over air, he would've surely been dead.

Jason looked up hesitantly, afraid of what he might see. It was a dragon. But it wasn't just any dragon, no, it was a dragon completely made of ice, and Jason was pretty sure it was nearly unbreakable.

Thinking of Piper, Jason sucked up his fear and flew up to meet the dragon. It spit a blizzard at him, and Jason ducked, barely missing the blow. He could feel that the tips of his hair were frozen.

The dragon repeated this several times, Jason nearly getting hit on all. Part of the reason Jason was fighting so bad was because of a suddenly heavy feeling on his wrist. He kept trying to look and see what the problem was, but the dragon kept distracting him.

It was weird, fighting in mid-air. Jason could literally move anywhere, and not worry about hitting a thing. This tactic, however, was soon to come to an end, for they were nearing the castle.

Jason dodged behind a tower, making the dragon temporarily lose track of him. He looked at his wrist, and found a familiar looking bracelet. _Thalia's_ bracelet. She was looking after him. Knowing what to do, Jason pressed it, and the bracelet turned into a shield, with the head of a very ugly woman plastered on the front.

He came out from behind the tower and faced the ice dragon. Again, the dragon blew ice and snow at him, but this time Jason had backup. He held up the shield, and it blocked everything, even making the dragon cower slightly.

Jason took advantage of this, and did the stupidest thing yet. He threw his sword at the dragon. Mid-way, Jason knew it wasn't going to even pierce the dragon.

_Think Jason, think_, he thought to himself. What could he do to fight it now. It was made of ice. Unbreakable ice, to be exact. In reality, ice was just water. And water…was a great conductor of electricity! Jason almost smacked himself in the forehead.

Jason held the shield out in front of him, edging closer to the dragon, making it sink lower to the ground. Jason looked at the sky, summoning a thunderstorm, the biggest he could possibly get. Thunder rumbled, and Jason almost smiled.

He made the dragon sink until it hit the ground. Jason followed it, landing ten feet far in front. The dragon lunged, but as soon as he held up the shield, it cowered again.

Sensing the perfect moment, Jason yelled, and a white hot streak of lightning came down and struck the dragon. The electricity cursed through it, electrocuting it from the inside. The dragon moaned and screamed so loud that Jason almost felt sorry for it as it died.

Jason immediately pushed this thought away though, as he turned to the castle doors. Jason ran up the stairs, and pulled on the door while closing Thalia's shield. Surprisingly, the doors opened.

* * *

**Disclaimed already! There will be 16 chapters in this story, and though I already have them written, I will continue updating on the usual schedule. **

**On another note, I have started another story based on the disney movie Aladdin. Again, I used Piper and Jason as my main characters, but the roles are reversed. I was going to try Percy and Annabeth, but I just can't get the feel of it, you know?**

**Maybe later, when I'm more experienced I'll try Annabeth and Percy, but not now. There is a little hope!**

**Thanks, as always, for the reviews!**

** Love you guys!**


	15. The Kiss Of Prince Jason

Jason walked into the what he assumed to be the throne hall. The purple carpet lined up to a small raised area, which contained two thrones upon it. Strangely enough, Jason felt like he had been here before, though he was sure that he hadn't.

He stepped over many people, like maids, cooks, servants, messengers, and all the other castle workers. They seemed to be asleep for some reason. Jason took the first random staircase, not having a clue where he was going. He turned, got on other staircases, opened every door available. Jason knew he was hopelessly lost.

Still Jason continued on, fighting through the feeling of utter hopelessness. If he could fight an ice dragon, he could get through a confusing castle.

All of the sudden, Jason heard a sniffling sound, like someone crying. Jason searched for the source of the sound, finding it to be coming from a nearby broom cupboard. He opened it to reveal a girl with caramel colored hair, crying on a stool.

"Hey, um, could you help me find my way in this place? I'm kinda lost…" Jason asked. As soon as he said it, he realized how heartless that sounded.

The girl however, did not seem to notice. She got up and out of the broom cupboard. "Do you come here for the Princess?" She asked, holding in a sob.

"Yes, I'm Prince Jason. I need help, this castle is hopelessly confusing!" Jason stated. The girl almost cracked a smile.

"This castle _is _very easy to get lost in. Come, I will show you the way to the Princess's room," The girl said, "By the way, you can call me Calypso, my name is not 'Um'." Calypso said as she took off towards a long hallway.

Jason followed her, not wanting to get lost again. Calypso turned through odd corridors that led to more stairs, and doors that Jason wouldn't have ever noticed if it was not for Calypso.

After many agonizing minutes, Calypso stopped very suddenly. So suddenly that Jason ran into her, nearly making her hit the wall. Calypso raised a finger to her lips.

"This is where she lays-"

"You make it sound like she's dead!" Jason interrupted. Calypso gave him a look that said _might as well be_. It wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Anyways, if you believe you are the one, through this door is where she is. I'll leave you here." Calypso said. She gave him one last glance, and disappeared around a corner.

Jason stared at the door. Engraved on a silver plate was her name, Princess Piper. Jason was more afraid to open this door and see what was there than he had ever been in his entire life.

He took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Jason didn't notice the enormity of the room, or the delicately carved furniture. No, his eyes were set on the elegant woman laying on the mahogany bed. He practically ran to the side, and leaned over Piper.

Piper looked peaceful, and it was truly horrifying. She was dressed in a sea blue dress that fit her perfectly, her hands folded onto her stomach. Jason honestly had no idea what to do. What power did he possess that allowed him to bring back Piper from a deep sleep?

The answer came almost immediately. Love. He possessed Piper's love. Without thinking of what he was doing, Jason leaned down and kissed her, thinking of every time they had spent together, the kisses they'd shared, _everything_.

Piper gasped, making Jason jump backwards into her bed stand. "Jason!"

"Piper! I-I thought I lost you! You looked so terrible, and I thought there was nothing I could do-" Jason sputtered, but he was interrupted by Piper kissing him again. Jason unwrapped the blue ribbon from his wrist and tied it to hers.

Piper looked at it, and gave him a surprised look. "Where did you get this from?"

"That day in the marketplace, when you tripped in front of Princess Drew, you forgot a ribbon. So I just kept it, to remind myself of you. As if I could forget about you anyway…" Jason explained. To his amazement, Piper started to cry.

"I-I just re-remembered. I'm betrothed! W-we can't b-be together! You're n-not a P-prince," Piper said between sobs.

Jason reached his arms around her. "Actually, Princess, do you remember that secret I was going to tell you at the ball?" Piper nodded. "I'm Prince Jason, from the kingdom of King Jupiter. But, I'm also betrothed to someone else…" Jason told Piper. Piper started to sob harder, and Jason thought he should probably not have added that last part.

The only reason Jason wasn't as shook up about this as Piper was, was because he had seen this coming. Jason had prepared himself for this ever since he had met Piper, only he hadn't seen the twist. Piper also had to get married to someone else.

Victoria came running into the room breathing hard, showing many cuts and bruises from her fight with Khione. "What's wrong? Didn't you save her? What's going on?" Victoria demanded.

"Uh, It's a bit of a depressing time right now….You see, we're both betrothed." Jason explained. Victoria came forward and studied him.

"Betrothed? Who are you exactly? I never did ask for your name," Victoria said while still staring at him.

Jason shifted, still holding Piper in his arms. "I'm Prince Jason, the son of King Jupiter.

Victoria's mouth twitched. "That's…interesting. Um, well I think I'll go check up on how Fortuna and Nemesis are doing. They're bringing the kingdom back awake now." Victoria went to the door, then turned around, "Piper, your mother and father are awake now if you want to go meet them."

"Hey, Victoria, how did you finally defeat Khione?" Jason asked quickly before Victoria left.

Victoria smirked. "Someday, a very victorious man will say this; A house divided cannot stand alone. I think Khione was having some issues within her army," Victoria then again turned to leave.

Jason waited for Victoria. Then he got up and grabbed Piper's arms. "Come on Piper. Let's go meet your parents and see if we can work this out," Jason put a lot of optimism in his voice, and it seemed to persuade Piper enough to get her to climb out of bed.

"O-okay," Piper said with a shaky breath, "But do you know the way there?" Piper asked him.

"You mean to tell me that you don't know the way around your own home?" Jason asked Piper in return.

"Well I just found out that I was a princess not too long ago! I've never actually walked around this castle and explored!" Piper pointed out.

Jason thought over what she had just said. "Khione told me that you knew you were a princess."

"And you believed her?"

"Well I wasn't in the best emotional state!" Jason protested. Before Piper could respond, Calypso walked into the room.

"Victoria told me you would be needing help getting to the throne room. Is that correct?" Calypso asked them.

Piper let go of Jason and stepped forward. "Yes, we do. Thank you Calypso." Piper answered. Calypso smiled, turned around and started to lead the way.

Not wanting to loose track of Calypso, Jason grabbed Piper's hand and followed as quick as they could. Many twists, turns, and staircases later, they had arrived before the entrance doors. Calypso bowed and left Jason and Piper to themselves.

Jason opened the door and motioned for Piper to go through. She went, and Jason followed. Piper reached over and clutched Jason's hand for support as they walked up the purple carpet that lead to her parents.

They were about half way up the carpet when Queen Aphrodite jumped up and started running towards them with her skirts lifted slightly up. King Hephaestus was not far behind.

"Piper! My daughter! I thought you were gone forever, but you have been saved by love!" Queen Aphrodite exclaimed while she reached out and hugged Piper who was still holding Jason's hand. Piper let go and patted Aphrodite's back awkwardly.

Aphrodite let go of Piper and stepped back, beaming at the both of them. "And who are you, may I ask?" She questioned, looking at Jason.

"I'm-" Jason started but was interrupted by the doors slamming open. Jason turned around to see his father and Juno hurrying over.

"King Hephaestus, I am terribly sorry to tell you that my son is missing…" King Jupiter registered who was right in front of him. "Jason, my boy! What in Hades are you doing here!" Jupiter exclaimed.

"Uh, father!" Jason said, trying to gain his wording back, "I have to speak to you about my betrothal. I could not marry anybody but Piper." Jason stated.

King Jupiter exchanged a confused look with the others. "Jason, what are you talking about?"

Jason reached over and grabbed Piper's hand. "Father, I can't marry the person I am betrothed to. I refuse! Piper is the only one for me."

A look of comprehension dawned over Queen Aphrodite's face. "You two didn't realize…Jason, Piper, you are betrothed to each other!"

* * *

**I sense an ending near! Thanks for the support so far! Disclaimer: Do not own HOO or Sleeping Beauty**


	16. That Kind Of An Ending

"What!?" Jason exclaimed. If what the Queen said was true, then Jason had spent the last few months worrying about nothing. He looked to Piper, and her jaw was dropped.

"I said Prince Jason, that you are to marry my daughter. Curious thing that you fell in love first without knowing that isn't it?" Queen Aphrodite restated. She seemed to be in a happy mood now that love was the subject.

Piper still looked very shocked. "This is…unbelievable. I-I can't believe that through all these years…" Piper stared at Jason lovingly. There was an awkward tension between the others present.

"Oh my gods, just kiss already!" The doors slammed open to reveal a raven haired girl that Jason recognized right away.

"Thalia?" Jason asked anyways.

Thalia walked up to him and swung her arm around his shoulder. "Who else, little brother?"

Jupiter stared incredulously at Thalia and Jason. "What made you come back?"

"Oh, I'm not coming back. See this?" Thalia motioned to a silver band across her head, "Queen Artemis's First Lieutenant. I just came because word had it that Prince Jason had saved Princess Piper, and I wanted to come check it out. I didn't come to see _you_," Thalia made clear.

King Jupiter looked a little angry towards Thalia, so Jason decided to change the subject. Jason took the bracelet off his wrist. "Here Thalia, thanks for your support." He handed it to her. Thalia looked surprised and checked her own wrist.

"That's odd. I didn't send it to you," Thalia shrugged, "Maybe it decided to be there when I couldn't be. Whatever it was, I don't regret it."

Piper stepped up and shook Thalia's hand as Thalia let go of Jason. "I don't regret that that happened either. I'm Piper, Jason's girlfriend. And apparently future wife too," Piper smiled at Jason.

"I'm Thalia, Jason's sister. I remember you from a long time ago when you were born. It's your eyes, I think."

"I've been told," Piper blushed and glanced a Jason. Queen Aphrodite smiled adoringly.

And that was when Jason finally listened to Thalia, and kissed Piper.

* * *

A week later, Piper was sitting in front of her bedroom mirror while Princess Annabeth did Piper's hair.

Annabeth and her new husband, Percy, were among the many people from all the kingdoms that had showed up for the wedding. They had been almost the first to arrive, which had given Piper and Annabeth time to become good friends.

Annabeth was going to be a bridesmaid for Piper's wedding, but she had been the first to be done getting ready, which was why she was decorating her hair.

"That looks great, Annabeth!" Piper complemented her. It really did, Piper wasn't lying. Annabeth had braided several pieces of Piper's hair and joined them in an intricate design that made Piper's head spin.

Annabeth smiled, her grey eyes shining. "You know, doing hair is not really that different from designing buildings. It's the same type of thinking anyway," Annabeth explained.

"Annabeth?" Piper asked. She turned around to face Annabeth, instead of looking at her through the mirror's reflection.

"Yes?"

Piper fidgeted with the blue ribbon around her wrist. "I love Jason and all, but I didn't think I would be so nervous! I mean, getting married it's just so…" Piper trailed off.

Annabeth smiled reassuringly. "I know what you mean. It's a big thing. Percy and I had run around together for over eleven years, and we knew everything about each other, but I was still nervous when we got married. It's a natural thing to feel," Annabeth said. Piper nodded even though she still felt anxious.

"I got your dress! And, I've got to say, it's impressive," Hazel said as she walked in with an elegant white dress in her hands.

"Go on, get it on!" Annabeth commanded. Piper jumped up and grabbed the dress and went behind the dressing screen. Hazel followed and helped button and strap it together. Once the dress was completely on, Piper stepped out from the screen.

Annabeth and Lacy, who had apparently come while Piper was getting dressed, gasped. Hazel stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Oh Piper! Look at you! All dressed up and beautiful! I _told_ you one day I would see that!" Lacy exclaimed while jumping up and down.

Annabeth grabbed the dress and started to examine it. "This really is amazing, you two. The jewels you added to Lacy's design really define it, Hazel."

Hazel blushed. "Well, jewels for me aren't that hard to find…"

"Wow, look at my sister the Beauty Queen! Jason's a lucky man today," A voice said from the door.

"Leo!" Piper yelled, blushing furiously. A few days ago, Queen Aphrodite had admitted to Hephaestus that she had cheated on him. King Hephaestus however, had not been upset about it. Turns out, he had too, and fathered Leo. Leo now lived in the castle with them, and was declared a prince.

Hazel went to Leo and pushed him out the door. "Aren't you supposed to be helping the groom?"

"Well-"

"It was a rhetorical question! Out Out Out!" Hazel demanded. After Leo was out, Hazel shut the door.

Lacy started on Piper's makeup, being a total perfectionist about it. "Uh, I got the eyeliner a little off on one eye _again_! Where's that wet cloth so I can start over?"

Luckily for Piper, Annabeth declared that enough. "Lacy, this will be the fifth time! It will be okay, nobody will notice! It's just makeup,"

Lacy sighed. "Fine," she mumbled in resignation.

The door opened to reveal a dressed up Percy. "Hey, Annabeth? Are you guys ready? We've been waiting…" Percy trailed off, sensing Annabeth's mood. "But I guess a few more minutes won't hurt, right?" Percy shut the door again.

"Okay, we should actually hurry and finish this up. It's a long way down there," Annabeth stated. Lacy ignored her and finished Piper's makeup according to her own schedule.

"Ah-ha!" Lacy finally exclaimed. "It's absolutely perfect…well, almost, but it will work!"

Hazel grabbed the trainer of Piper's dress. "Come on, let's go!"

Piper glanced at herself in the mirror before they could. Piper didn't mean to sound self-centered or anything, but she did look pretty. All three of them had done a wonderful job on Piper. The dress complemented Piper's figure, while the hair and makeup complemented her kaleidoscopic eyes.

Annabeth pulled Piper through the door, Hazel holding the dress trainer and Lacy following behind, checking her reflexion in a hand held mirror. Piper wasn't afraid of getting lost, not with Annabeth. Annabeth had figured out nearly every passageway and the way around the castle within her first day there.

Piper nervousness was at breaking point the whole way there. Seriously, it was just a wedding with the man of her dreams. What was the big deal?

The four of them hurried down the last stair case and approached the door, meeting Nemesis.

"Good, you're here! I thought Victoria was going to die from the time it took you," Nemesis said.

Annabeth shot a look at Lacy. "We would have been done a while ago, if _someone_ hadn't started over five times."

"Okay, okay. Well get in the proper formation and order. I have to go tell them to start the wedding officially." Nemesis scurried off through a door to the side.

They went to go join all the other participants in the wedding, who were already in line. Piper went to the end with Hazel, who would be holding the trainer.

The doors opened, and one by one people started to trail through. Piper waited anxiously.

Hazel patted her shoulder. "It'll be okay, I promise. Don't worry." Hazel calmed.

Piper nodded, not able to speak. After an enduringly long wait, it was Piper's turn. The dramatic traditional music started to play, and Piper walked through the doors.

Though everybody's eyes were on Piper, the beautiful bride, Piper's eyes were staring at something else the whole way.

The man from her dream.

* * *

**Yay! This story is finished! Hope you liked it! **

**I'll be posting my next story shortly. As I said earlier, it's based off of Aladdin. **

**Thanks for any feedback, and I hope to see you again!**


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